We're watching you: academics of China studies tell of pressure and harassment

Academics and students of Chinese studies in Britain are subject to harassment, surveillance and pressure to self-censor so as not to disrupt funding, a survey of universities by a transparency group has concluded.

- Eleni Courea

The findings by the charity UK-China Transparency coincides with new government guidance stating that universities may be breaching rules by having partnerships with foreign governments that require academic staff to pass ideological tests - for example, by hosting Confucius Institutes.

Academics working on topics that are politically sensitive to the Chinese Communist party reported instances of harassment from colleagues and pressure from university administrators related to the financial consequences of damaging relationships with China.

One academic involved in sensitive research stopped teaching after experiencing harassment from a visiting scholar from China, who whispered "we're watching you" in one case and interrogated them about their personal history at another event. Another scholar experienced a severe campaign of online harassment.

One respondent stated that their Chinese students had confided in him that they had been asked by Chinese police to spy on campus events, and another said they were told by Chinese students that surveillance was omnipresent and that students were interviewed by officials on their return to China.