An elite Chinese university has decided to expel an outspoken economist who champions free speech and the rule of law, a move critics say underscores the Communist Party’s intolerance for discussion of democratic values that it believes threatens its legitimacy.
A 34-member faculty at Peking University’s School of Economics voted last week to dismiss Professor Xia Yeliang by a 30-3 vote, with one abstention, in a closed session from which he was excluded, Xia said on Friday after being notified of the decision. Calls to the university rang unanswered.
“I am angry inside, but I must face it with composure,” said Xia, who will remain employed by the university until his contract expires Jan. 31, more than 13 years after he started teaching there.
Rumours that Xia was facing expulsion had swirled in academic circles and on discussions on China’s popular microblogs for months, with many commentators saying such a move would be an assault on already limited academic freedoms in China.
Xia’s expulsion comes as China’s recently installed leadership has further tightened controls on public discourse, arresting popular bloggers for spreading so-called rumours and activists who have called for anti-corruption measures. Communist Party authorities reportedly issued a directive to some college campuses that certain topics are now barred from class discussions, including press freedom, judicial independence and civil society.
In August, East China University of Political Science and Law in Shanghai banned Zhang Xuezhong, also an outspoken professor, from teaching any course at the school.
Xia has been a vocal advocate for democracy in recent years. In 2008, he helped draft Charter 08, a bold call for sweeping changes to China’s one-party political system that landed its main champion, Liu Xiaobo, in prison.