When Professor Peter Nolan warned against debating the plight of the Uighurs or the suppression of democracy in Hong Kong at Jesus College, Cambridge, he exposed the impact of China’s growing influence in UK universities. In comments, Nolan, the director of the college’s China Centre, advised colleagues to avoid contentious issues on China’s human rights record lest they be seen as a “campaigning college for freedom for Hong Kong, freedom for the Uighurs”. Nolan’s professorship was funded by a £3.7 million donation to the university from the Chong Hua foundation, a trust allegedly controlled by the daughter of Wen Jiabao, a former Chinese prime minister. Nolan also sits on the board of China International Capital Corporation (CICC), a Chinese state-backed investment bank.
Sep 2021. China and UK Universities
