British Universities in China Tied to Communist Party Branches

[Voice of Hope September 22, 2024](Reported by our reporter Pan Xiang)

British universities have established Communist Party branches in their Chinese campuses, with the secretaries of these branches often serving as senior executives, according to a report by The Times.

The Joint Educational Institutes (JEI) program is a key component of the academic relationship between the UK and China, enabling British and Chinese universities to jointly teach and award British degrees. At least 45 British universities are involved in this joint degree program.

A report by the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) highlights that a Communist Party branch has been established in each British branch of the dual degree program. The CCP’s policy documents stipulate that the party branch should play a core management role in the dual degree program. An investigation found that in the branches of these British universities in China, more than half of the Communist Party secretaries or deputy secretaries also serve as deans or vice-deans of the university.

The authors of the report emphasize that British universities must take immediate and responsible action to protect students and scholars, including those at their branches in China.

Notably, the University of Nottingham donated 50,000 pounds to the Communist Party branch of its Ningbo campus in China as an annual donation in 2012. In 2018, scholar Stephen Morgan was removed from his position as vice-provost of the Nottingham University Ningbo campus for criticizing the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China online.

Editor-in-charge: Han Mei