Scotland must be wary of China’s bid to spread its influence

In parallel with this more obvious exertion of influence abroad, China has also successfully gained international clout by dispersing its culture to countries around the world. I’d suggest that this is perhaps the most concerning element of the Chinese Communist Party’s international engagements as it has allowed the country to discreetly insert itself into so-called Western society, including here in Scotland, with most of us failing to notice.

Central to this initiative are China’s Confucius Institutes. Promoted as educational centres, they are embedded in universities and schools around the world with the stated mission of teaching the Chinese language, offering classes in culture, sponsoring educational exchanges and hosting public events and lectures. Globally, there are 548 of these institutes, it is a significant network.

Last year, I was deeply concerned to hear the Human Rights Watch sound the alarm on Confucius Institutes, declaring them “extensions of the Chinese government that censor certain topics and perspectives in course materials on political grounds, and use hiring practices that take political loyalty into consideration”.

Chinese officials have repeatedly compared Confucius Institutes to language and culture promotion organisations such as UK’s British Council. However, I’d highlight two fundamental differences. First, while the British Council is operationally independent from the UK Government, the same cannot be said for Confucius Institutes, which are intimately tied to the Chinese state. Indeed, Confucius Institutes are controlled, funded and staffed by the Chinese government, with oversight of the program under the responsibility of Hanban, a controversial public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Secondly, unlike organisations such as the British Council, most Confucius Institutes operate directly on university campuses, giving rise to unique concerns relating to academic freedom and political influence.

These institutes are an important part of China’s overseas propaganda apparatus and have been accused of extending Chinese censorship to educational institutions abroad. Topics Beijing considers controversial, like Tibet, Taiwan, and Tiananmen, are off-limits and make no appearance in the teachings of Confucius Institutes, which serves to advance the Chinese government’s political agenda to a global audience.

Perhaps something that should concern us more is the fact that universities hosting Confucius Institutes are vulnerable to Chinese influence and pressure, as demonstrated by numerous instances of host universities being pressured to silence or censor talks on “sensitive” topics such as Taiwan. There is real concern that these educational institutions will act as Chinese apologists, stifling academic freedom, in exchange for the continuation of the extensive funding they receive for hosting a Confucius Institute.

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In tandem with this potential censorship, the institutes have also been accused of conducting surveillance, with Chinese scholars threatened by Chinese officials for criticising the Chinese government

in lectures and talks. Chinese students have reported that their families in China have received threats for statements those students made in the classroom. This is frankly an inexcusable breach of academic freedom and wider freedom of expression.

I’m far from being alone in sounding the alarm on these institutes. As the prevalence of them has grown, so too has criticism. Many in the international community have taken action against China’s Confucius Institutes, with several hosting universities around the world, including in Canada, France and the United States, terminating their Confucius Institute contracts.

In Australia, growing concern about China’s influence on university campuses led the government to establish a task force last August to investigate foreign interference in Australian universities, with a particular focus on the role of Confucius Institutes. This came after it emerged that local universities had signed agreements giving China decision-making authority over teaching at the facilities.

Significantly, in August this year, the US State Department designated the Confucius Institute US Centre as “a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China” on the basis of their “opacity” and “state-directed nature”. The announcement of the designation criticised Confucius Institutes as entities “advancing Beijing’s global propaganda and malign influence campaign on US campuses and K-12 classrooms”.

Here in the UK, which hosts at least 29 of the institutes, Chinese influence through Confucius Institutes has become a topic of significant concern. In November last year, I was concerned to hear that the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee had received “alarming evidence” of Chinese meddling in UK universities, particularly through Confucius Institutes.

There are Confucius Institutes in Scotland too, and they play an important part in our academic community. I’m internationalist, I don’t want to cut ties, China is an important partner in many fields and we all want this to continue. As recently as 2018 the Scottish Government announced a further £750,000 investment in the Confucius Institute for Scotland’s Schools Scholarship Programme. But friendship and partnership have to be based on honesty. There are concerns and they should be properly investigated.

On November 12, I spoke in the House of Commons and called for an audit of Chinese engagement with our academic infrastructure, looking particularly at Confucius Institutes and their activities.

Language classes and cultural exchanges are of genuine value and should be continued. However, I think it is vitally important that we become more aware of what is going on in our own backyard and of the less obvious ways in which China is gaining a foothold in our society.

We cannot allow ourselves to facilitate Beijing’s censorship and spreading of propaganda under the guise of teaching.