FM: Academic freedom promotes a healthier China-US relationship
By Li Bowen
People's Daily app
1567773483000

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said Friday that the US should respect academic freedom.

geng shuang.jpg

(Photo: fmprc.gov.cn)

The Washington Post published an opinion piece titled "No, I won't start spying on my foreign-born students" on August 30. Authored by Lee C Bollinger, president of Columbia University, the article called the surveillance of foreign scholars studying in the US a "wrong solution" and "antithetical to the mission of a university."

"The act of monitoring Chinese scholars and scholars in the US is unjust and morally unjustifiable. It only reflects certain people's dark thoughts," Geng said.

"Several prestigious US colleges and institutions have publicly voiced their support for international students and scholars and opposed US intelligence agencies and law enforcement's act of blocking the exchange of scientific research and education between China and the US," Geng said. "Strengthening cultural ties between both countries has proven to be widely accepted and will generate mutual benefits."

"The US leader has said multiple times that Chinese students are welcome to study in the US," Geng added. "China hopes that some US government branches can respect their leader’s position and stop harassing Chinese students and scholars in the US. They should protect the legitimate rights of those students and scholars and play a positive role in the relationship between both countries."