Revelations deepen concerns about Beijing’s policy of ‘elite capture’ in Europe.
AMSTERDAM — A major Dutch university’s decision to sever a Chinese funding stream has reignited political debate in the Netherlands about the methods Beijing is using to try to steer human rights discussions in Europe.
Following an investigation by Dutch broadcaster NOS last week, the Free University of Amsterdam, the country’s fourth largest, is paying back a subsidy granted to the Cross Cultural Human Rights Center (CCHRC), an independent research institute operating under the university’s mantle, over funding connections to the Chinese Communist Party.
The link is problematic because the center’s website cites views championing China’s human rights policy.
In one example, the website noted in October 2020 that a delegation of people affiliated to the center had “recently” visited the western Chinese region of Xinjiang, where several countries, including the United States, accuse China of perpetrating a genocide against Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities. The CCHRC website concluded: “The situation we encountered in the 4 cities in this trip did not reflect the grim situation as depicted in the Western reports. There is definitely no discrimination of Uyghurs or other minorities in the region.”
Dutch Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf told journalists that he was “shocked” by the revelations.
A spokesperson for the Free University of Amsterdam said that even the “appearance of” dependence on China-linked funds was unacceptable and that the university would take action, including stopping and refunding last year’s subsidy. The university will soon launch an inquiry, the spokesperson added.
China’s pursuit of influence through a policy of “elite capture” in academic and political institutions is fast becoming one of Europe’s leading strategic headaches. Earlier this month, Britain’s security service issued a rare warning that a Chinese agent had infiltrated the U.K. parliament to conduct “political interference activities.”
CCHRC’s director, Tom Zwart, who is also a frequent guest at Chinese state events and on state television, declined to comment. He told NOS, however, that any similarities between the center’s positions online and those of the Communist Party were “coincidental” and not steered by any direct influence. He said the project’s funding had been solely research-oriented and called the CCHRC website a place for “uncensored free thought,” ascribing the comments there to individual actors who don’t represent the organization as a whole.
CCHRC’s model exposes a vulnerability that Europe finds difficult to police.
“We do not have a clear image of how often such influence operations occur within academia, but we can definitely say that this is a clear case of attempting to exert ‘soft-power’ by the Chinese Communist Party,” said Rob de Wijk, professor of international relations and security at Leiden University. “If money changes hands in the way it has, it’s impossible for the institution to stray from the Communist Party line.”
In 2018, 2019 and 2020, the CCHRC received between €250,000 and €300,000 per year from the Southwest University of Political Science and Law, a university closely associated with the Communist Party, according to documents acquired by Dutch NOS. Until last year, the university, based in the city of Chongqing, was the sole funder of the Dutch research center.
Political reaction
In response to the controversy over potential interference, the centrist political party D66 has called for a parliamentary investigation into the extent to which Chinese influence plays a role in science, business and society in the Netherlands.
It’s the second time that lawmakers have called for greater attention to be paid to the issue. In 2021, a leading academic at another Dutch university was found to have received funds from the Chinese state “not to tarnish China’s image,” according to his contract.
The Socialist Party, Christian Democratic Appeal and the liberal People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) also intend to ask parliamentary questions on the matter.
“There are major blind spots with regards to Chinese interference, and it’s an issue which requires more national and international research by specialized investigative agencies and intelligence services,” Ruben Brekelmans, a member of parliament for the VVD, told POLITICO.
Education Minister Dijkgraaf told Dutch journalists it was now up to universities to find ways to preserve the core values of academia such as “freedom, integrity and independence.”
A spokesperson for the Dutch education inspectorate said the situation at the Free University of Amsterdam “is a clear signal to us to again make an inventory on whether we now need to start a broader procedure into influence peddling.”
De Wijk warned, however, against generalizing all instances of Chinese-backed research, and said there was still a need for dialogue between academic institutions.
“There are many types of important research and they don’t all lend themselves to potential influence peddling anyway. For example, researching the question ‘Why do trees grow?’ can hardly be doused in a communist sauce but may yield enormously important findings,” he said.
The Chinese embassy in the Netherlands did not respond to a request for comment.
CORRECTION: This story has been amended to correct details about interest in Chinese influence from Dutch parliamentarians last year.
https://www.politico.eu/article/dutch-university-amsterdam-scandal-taps-china-influence/
