Chinese students pursuing an education at western universities are faced with intimidation by Chinese authorities and their proxies—fellow Chinese students.
This is the conclusion of an Amnesty International report that draws on dozens of testimonials from students in Europe as well as the U.S.
While students feel quietly intimidated by their more ‘patriotic’ peers, such tactics can be also applied to their family members.
The report, entitled On my Campus, I am Afraid, cites the case of a student’s father intimidated by Chinese security forces mere hours after his daughter had participated in a commemoration of the brutal suppression of pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989.
Such activities, viewed by the Chinese government as implicit criticism of the current regime, are closely monitored by Beijing and are known to trigger various kinds of reprisals.
Indeed, any discussion of “sensitive” domestic political topics by these students is taboo to Chinese authorities, according to the human rights organization.
Nearly a third of students with whom Amnesty spoke explained how their family members were used as a means of silencing them about their government while abroad.
The situation makes students hesitant about discussing China around fellow Chinese students, who they fear might inform on them.
In addition, the students find themselves increasingly isolated, with more than half of those interviewed reporting “mental health issues linked to their fears, ranging from stress and trauma to paranoia and depression, in one case leading to hospitalization.” Worse still, eight students told Amnesty International they had “cut off contact with their loved ones back home to protect them from being targeted by the Chinese authorities, leaving them even more isolated and alone.”
Amnesty describes this phenomenon as “transnational repression,” an umbrella term referring to an assortment of governmental actions to silence, control, or discourage dissent and criticism by Chinese nationals abroad.
The organization says it cannot prove that the Chinese government is ultimately behind the intimidation in all cases, but it suspects this to be the case since the same pattern can be observed in several countries.
Speaking to RTL Nieuws, Floris Harm, director of the LeidenAsiaCentre, made use of the Chinese metaphor of the anaconda in the chandelier to explain Beijing’s modus operandi:
The anaconda symbolizes the Chinese government. It lies in the chandelier and doesn’t have to do much else. But the fact that it is there and can strike already ensures that people adapt their behavior as well as language in the room. That is how the Chinese government prefers to operate.
Currently, nearly 900,000 Chinese study abroad. Amnesty is urging the eight countries featured in its report to “combat threats to academic freedom and human rights” as they have “an obligation to protect international students under their jurisdiction.”
