Riyaz ul Khaliq
26 July 2019•Update: 26 July 2019
ANKARA
Australia's government is probing relations between the country’s universities and on-campus Confucius Institute education centers linked to the Chinese government, according to local media.
The government has started the scrutiny of universities' compliance with a new law covering foreign influence on education, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.
"Universities have agreed to give Beijing control over teaching at the institutes, which are joint ventures between a host university and a Chinese government agency," the report said.
Confucius Institutes, affiliated to China's Education Ministry, aim to promote Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges, added the report.
Some have questioned whether the centers are independent of Beijing, and Australia's Education Minister Dan Tehan warned universities about academic standards and autonomy.
"The government expected universities to have robust mechanisms in place to ensure international education partnerships to comply with Australian laws, education quality standards and academic freedoms," the daily quoted Tehan as saying.
"I spoke to Universities Australia this morning and stressed the importance of all universities that host foreign institutes complying with the foreign influence transparency scheme," Tehan said.
Australia’s attorney-general is examining the terms of arrangements between Confucius Institutes and universities to determine whether the contracts comply with the new law on foreign influence.
At least 13 Australian universities have signed such contracts. None of them has registered "the arrangements under the foreign influence transparency scheme,"
There are around 50 Confucius Institutes in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
