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[Vanishing free speech - Universities at the forefront of China’s propaganda war]
1. Universities are one of prime targets of #China’s overseas propaganda campaigns, as a way to stamp out overseas #CCP critics like @DrewPavlou & critical studies on China https://hongkongfp.com/2020/08/14/australian-university-criticized-for-censoring-voices-supporting-human-rights-in-hong-kong/
1. Universities are one of prime targets of #China’s overseas propaganda campaigns, as a way to stamp out overseas #CCP critics like @DrewPavlou & critical studies on China https://hongkongfp.com/2020/08/14/australian-university-criticized-for-censoring-voices-supporting-human-rights-in-hong-kong/
2. From growing unexamined ties with China, censored articles to expelled students, It is worrying that autonomy of Australia's universities now faces intensifying erosions.
3. Without public scrutiny on funds from #Beijing government and directly funded bodies, it is worrying that those CCP funds have become China’s new leverage, which would clearly undermine the educational independence of receiving universities.
4. #CCP-funded courses also function as #China's propaganda arms, with their teaching materials legitimizing #Beijing’s human rights violations in #Uyghur re-education camps in #Xinjiang and stigmatizing #HK democracy movements. https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/australian-university-teaching-prochina-class-that-amounts-to-amounts-to-propaganda-critics-say/news-story/d2d4f7e4182f0fc922f351ec26c5fb1b
5. On top of that, Beijing-backed and owned entities also use to the research capacity of Australian universities to develop #China’s surveillance and social credit system, which are used in internal repressions. https://www.news.com.au/national/australian-universities-helping-china-to-spy-in-massive-global-operation-four-corners-reveals/news-story/0f5354ee03ee93ea268c0c3eb2ba7a8a
6. In the absence of transparency, it is doubtful whether universities in Australia can defend their bastions of free thought amid China’ growing influence, especially when some of them pledging loyalty to #Beijing by expelling #Beijing critics and censoring “sensitive” articles.
7. Universities should be more than just business values, but also the bastion of liberal values. I hope that Australian universities should take concrete measures to protect their autonomy and make their controversial ties with #China more transparent.
