Australia cuts university ties, drawing flak

Australia's recent move to end two university-related arrangements with China, citing "national security" concerns, has drawn criticism for its negative impact on education exchange and partnerships.

China opposes the abuse of the concept of national security to restrict and target normal international cooperation in education and research, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said during a regular news briefing on Tuesday.

Lin was responding to a reporter's question about Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong's decision to "ask the Australian National University and the University of Queensland to terminate their collaboration respectively with Shandong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences".

ANU's arrangement with Shandong University, which involved cutting-edge research in science and mathematics and student exchanges, was ended and declared "invalid and unenforceable" by Wong on national security grounds, The Australian newspaper reported last week.

Research collaboration between the University of Queensland and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "involving pain relief derived from Australian native plants", had also been axed, it said.

Wong's move came after the United States' Department of Defense added Shandong University to a blacklist of institutions "engaging in problematic activities" in July.

Hu Dan, deputy director of the Australian Studies Centre at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said Canberra's actions demonstrate regular and close US-Australia information sharing and consultation under the "Five Eyes" alliance and other security mechanisms.

"This once again illustrates the elephant in the room in China-Australia relations: lack of political trust," she said.

Hu also pointed to growing "pan-securitization" in Australia's education and research sectors, citing the Australian Education Minister's decision in May to block research funding for 13 grant applications under the Australian Research Council on grounds relevant to security, defense or international relations.

The number more than doubled the previous annual record since the council was established in 2001, according to reports.

'Chilling effect'

Warning of potential repercussions, Hu cautioned that such actions could lead to negative spillover effects on broader China-Australia relations, noting that "the pan-securitization of education and scientific research activities has already started to hinder normal bilateral exchanges, resulting in some cases a chilling effect".

"In the long run, such actions could jeopardize a vital channel for deepening mutual understanding and maintaining dialogue between the two nations," said Hu.

"Don't imagine, and certainly hope, that these decisions do not generally impact research and education cooperation between Australia and China in areas permitted by both governments," David Goodman, director of the China Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, told China Daily.

Brian Schmidt, a former vice-chancellor of ANU, said at an education event on Tuesday that the university's partnership with Shandong University was "almost no risk" and "went through a lot of due diligence".

The Australian Financial Review quoted Schmidt as saying universities had "hundreds" of such deals, and he was "therefore quite surprised to see it singled out".