industry & research campusreview . com . au
A form of active censorship was becoming ‘ increasingly normalised ’.
Speak no evil
Report finds Australia ’ s Chinese students selfcensor to protect themselves and their families .
By Wade Zaglas
Human Rights Watch has released a report that illustrates the pressure Chinese students in Australia feel to self-censor themselves , afraid that if they anger or annoy Beijing , serious consequences to themselves or their families could follow .
This pervasive – but unspoken – fear throughout Australian universities also extends to the academics who teach these students , Times Higher Education ( THE ) reports .
The report , titled “ They don ’ t understand the fear we have ” How China ’ s Long Reach of Repression Undermines Academic Freedom at Australia ’ s Universities , was written by ABC investigative journalist Sophie McNeill .
“ China experts and academics with Chinese heritage practise ‘ regular self-censorship ’,” the new report says , “ while democracyminded students live in fear of attracting Chinese authorities ’ attention ”.
The report states that universities that are obviously wary of losing “ lucrative Chinese tuition fees ” were “ turning a blind eye ” to harassment and surveillance by the Chinese government and its “ proxies ”.
The report is a comprehensive insight into how Chinese authorities have allegedly harassed Chinese students in Australia , particularly those who have discussed culturally taboo issues such as the Tiananmen Square protest and addresses by the Dalai Lama . The report also mentions that Chinese agencies are increasing their efforts to recruit students to report acts of subversion or anything that can “ undermine Beijing ’ s image ”.
THE GLOBAL REACH OF BEIJING AND UA ’ S RESPONSE A key and disconcerting part of the report was that Zoom has contributed to the rise in the harassment , surveillance and intimidation of pro-democracy students over the last few years . The “ extraterritorial reach ” of the new national security laws in Hong Kong are also deeply concerning for many Chinese wishing to speak their truth , THE said .
Universities Australia CEO Catriona Jackson said universities had “ robust ” policies to deal with intimidation on campuses . “ We urge students to come forward to universities to report any incidents ,” she said .
“ Every university leader will read this report with concern . No student or staff member should feel constrained in expressing their views as part of the free exchange of views that is in the DNA of our universities .”
REPORT METHODOLOGY Interviews with 22 academics and 24 students from 16 universities formed the data for the report . The same questions were also put to 16 universities , with all but two responding .
“ While these 24 pro-democracy students make up a miniscule proportion of the student community in Australia , their experiences speak to the challenges faced by hundreds and possibly thousands … who want the freedom to express their opinions ,” the report says .
FINDINGS The report found that more than 50 per cent of Chinese students interviewed had experienced harassment or intimidation . It also cites death threats and violence , with students ’ personal details exposed online and parents back home being visited by authorities , THE said .
Related directly to the issues of academic freedom and freedom of speech at Australian universities , McNeill ’ s report also mentions email and social media campaigns targeting academics , including tutors , after a student was “ pilloried ” for calling Taiwan a country .
Concerningly , the report states that a form of active censorship was becoming “ increasingly normalised ”, as universities discouraged open discourse on China-related themes .
To counter this , the report recommends a raft of practical options , including : 1 . Conducting an annual education department stocktake of incidents of harassment , intimidation and censorship , along with universities ’ steps to “ counter those threats ”.
2 . Vice-chancellors should “ speak out publicly ” when such incidents occur .
3 . The University Foreign Interference Taskforce should examine these matters “ as a priority ”. China specialist Professor James Laurenceson from University of Technology Sydney was interviewed for the report , adding that the Chinese government ’ s threats to academic freedom and freedom of speech were significant problems .
“ The granular case studies in the report serve as much-needed data ,” said Laurenceson , director of UTS ’ Australia-China Relations Institute .
However , Laurenceson focused heavily on the need to defrost geo-political tensions , stating that not all liberal democracies were suffering the same blowback from Beijing .
“ It ’ s not clear to me that Australian universities are systematically lagging behind . They are more financially exposed to Chinese student dollars , but they are also subject to pressures from an Australian government that is way out in front of peer countries ,” he said . ■
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