HEPI is running a series of blogs on the changing faces of academia in collaboration with the British Academy. This post was kindly contributed by Chi Zhang, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, School of International Relations, University of St Andrews.
‘Kill the Chinese’ is a piece of racist graffiti found on a flagpole outside the University of Glasgow in September 2022. This chilling exclamation encapsulates the growing atmosphere of fear in which many Chinese students in the UK find themselves.
The concerns about Chinese influence have long existed but they have been exacerbated in the context of deteriorating relations with China. In August 2020, the UK Government and Parliament rejected a petition that called for Confucius Institutes to be closed as they were considered the ‘Trojan propaganda organs’ of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Despite the rejection, such sentiments continue to simmer, leading politicians to declare China ‘the greatest threat’ in 2022, and Rishi Sunak looking to close some 30 Confucius Institutes across the UK. Unwilling to appear ‘too soft’ on China, politicians have conflated issues of national security and academic freedom, leading to reduced policy options for engagement and opportunities for educational exchanges, especially in STEM disciplines.
