The Ministry of Education on Wednesday announced that it would no longer recognize qualifications from three Chinese universities found to be arms of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) United Front Work Department.
Ignoring the reality of the CCP’s and military harassment against, and ambitions for the annexation of, the nation, Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said: “Academics should be left to academics, education should be left to education.”
Huang harshly criticized the government for anti-China, pro-Taiwan rhetoric, thereby harming students in the process.
The reality is that, under the CCP’s one-party authoritarian system, even the highest-ranked Chinese universities must adhere to the principle that the party leads the school. The “About” page on Peking University’s Web site lists its CCP chairman He Guangcai (何光彩) before the president, Gong Qihuang (龔旗煌). It is evident that the party chairman is above the president.
Gong is also vice chair of the Peking University Council, which further proves that the president is second in command to the chairman. In Chinese top-ranked universities, it is abundantly clear who holds more power between the council and the president — there is a well-defined hierarchy.
The organizational structures of other universities, such as Beijing’s Tsinghua University and Shanghai’s Fudan University, are no different. As for the three blacklisted “united front” universities — Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, Jinan University in Guangzhou, and the Beijing Chinese Language and Culture College — there is even less to say. The facts are right before our eyes. Under the CCP’s rule, academics serve a political purpose. Where did Huang get the ridiculous idea that the two are unrelated?
Ultimately, the reason why academics are not simply academics and education is not simply education is due to the CCP’s “Party leads everything” ideology and its authoritarian system, using politics to oppress academics.
In the face of the CCP’s “united front” offensive, the ministry is merely exercising its right to protect hardworking Taiwanese students from being brainwashed. That is a good thing. However, Huang is turning a blind eye to the CCP’s covert “united front” tactics, remaining willfully ignorant. He even had the nerve to criticize the government’s well-intentioned protection of students against the CCP’s brainwashing and infiltration — it is foolish and malicious.
Huang Wei-ping works in public service and has a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Massachusetts.
Translated by Kyra Gustavsen
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