Universities Australia says foreign interference on campus is “not a one-country problem” but the peak body is unsure which countries besides China are potentially exerting undue influence.
The University of Technology Sydney has prepared a contingency plan for a “worst-case scenario” collapse in the China-Australia relationship.
One proposal would see only academics involved in sensitive research or from high-risk countries required to disclose their links to overseas political parties.
The measures are contained in draft guidelines that are being debated among university leaders and government officials.
A confidential plan to force university staff to reveal a decade of foreign political links has met with such fierce backlash that the federal government is reviewing it.
The US departure from Afghanistan reduces Washington’s influence in a region near China. However,it’s not clear how much Beijing will benefit.
As the lab leak theory has gained traction,Chinese state-owned media outlets have taken aim at News Corp reporter Sharri Markson.
Foreign veto laws have been unnecessarily complicated for universities by the reluctance to identify China and other countries as the targets,the PM’s former legal adviser says.
Duncan Lewis doesn’t see the government’s power to cancel foreign deals as “a sinister thing”,but says it’s important research partnerships don’t become a casualty.
Universities say they have limited power to protect students from Chinese government surveillance once it extends beyond the classroom.
A new report by Human Rights Watch has revealed the degree of surveillance and harassment faced by some Chinese international students when they study in Australia.