The allegations have sparked fears of foreign interference in academic freedom at UK universities.
Academic Freedom at Risk
Research carried out by the think-tank UK-China Transparency on Chinese influence in the UK, based on a survey of Chinese studies academics.
Others reported that their Chinese students confessed to having been instructed by Chinese officials to spy on classmates and report back anything that smacked of political content.
Sensitive topics such as rights abuses in Xinjiang, the COVID-19 pandemic, and Chinese tech firms are censored. It also says that Chinese officials have warned UK lecturers off such topics.
At least a few academics say they had experienced harassment by the Chinese government as a result of the Chang work, or even had problems with their visas for themselves or their families in China.
A spokesperson at the Chinese embassy in London said: "To think, even far by western standards biased and bigoted tabloids employ fake news to smear China even though the UK media is free now.
New Laws and Regulatory Action
The row follows the introduction of new UK laws strengthening universities' obligations to defend freedom of speech and academic independence.
Institutions that refuse to take part could be hit with multi-million pound fines under the new regulations.
The Office for Students (OfS), the higher education regulator, said it would expect universities to stand up for academic freedom, regardless of whatever foreign funding or partnerships might be involved.
The report points to the millions of pounds being invested in Confucius Institutes – Chinese government-funded centres promoting Chinese language and culture programmes at UK universities.
They have been slammed for their purported links to the Chinese Communist Party and the way they may be influencing courses in Australian universities.
The OfS has also said it will look into Confucius Institutes under the laws, and is introducing a whistleblower system for staff and visiting speakers to report free speech breaches.
Pressure on Universities to Act
The UKCT report warns that a few universities unwilling to alienate China because they are financially dependent on student fees from there are continuing to ignore the evidence.
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Skills Minister Jacqui Smith said that any attempt by foreign governments to "bully" people in the UK would not be accepted. It is also understood that the record £585,000 fine levied earlier this year has placed universities on notice: defend free speech or risk penalties.
There are reports that students—both Chinese and non-Chinese—are reluctant to talk openly on China-related subjects. This is already damaging the UK's academic reputation, according to a report.
The government and regulators claim they are trying to maintain universities as places of open inquiry, where students and academics should be free to discuss or define ideas without being scrutinised or punished.
