Tiananmen won't be taboo at new CUHK-Shenzhen campus, says president

Academic discussion of the Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989 will not be taboo at the soon-to-open Shenzhen branch of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the institution's president said yesterday.

"There's nothing that we can't talk about. Anything within the academic field can be discussed," Professor Xu Yangsheng said. "June 4 is a political issue. If it's related to political studies it can be covered."

Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, a joint venture with Shenzhen University, will start accepting applications from students next month for the academic year beginning in September.

Xu said students who studied at the new institution would take general education courses - including history and law - that were identical to those at Chinese University in Sha Tin.

Asked what would happen if students were arrested by mainland authorities for commemorating the June 4, 1989, crackdown or any other political reason, he said he would bail them out.

"For a president, students must be protected," he said. "But I also hope they will not violate the law."

Xu, the former pro-vice-chancellor of Chinese University, pledged to defend the academic freedom of the new institution.