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Greater Bay Area: researchers at Hong Kong-linked campus in Guangzhou must follow the law, branch head says
- President of Guangzhou campus of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology gives details on how the sister facility will operate
- But he notes that academics studying sensitive topics such as Beijing’s treatment of Uygurs must ensure their research does not violate the law
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Academics at a new campus in mainland China run by a leading Hong Kong university must abide by the law when researching sensitive topics such as Beijing’s treatment of Uygurs in far-western Xinjiang, the head of the new branch has said.
Professor Lionel Ni Ming-shuan, who was appointed to lead the Guangzhou campus of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), also said Hong Kong students could take courses offered by the facility.
In his first interview with local media since taking up the position last month, Ni said the new campus in Guangzhou would enjoy “academic freedom that’s known to any major university”.
“We cannot tell faculty what to do, or what not to do. But a very important [thing] is that they have to obey the local laws,” Ni, 69, said when asked whether researchers would be permitted to cover sensitive topics such as Beijing’s handling of the mostly Muslim Uygurs.
Western nations and human rights groups have accused Chinese authorities of detaining and torturing Uygurs and other minorities in camps in the Xinjiang region.
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