Getting China Right: The Challenge for Research Universities

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Deepening strategic rivalry between the United States and China, a more repressive and assertive China under Xi Jinping, and souring public moods in many Western countries are having major implications for academic interactions with China. The most visible dimension is increased concern about protection of intellectual property, cyber security, and screening of research partnerships and agreements as seen in the recently-announced NSERC guidelines.

But the challenges that North American universities face in framing their China connections go much wider, including student recruitment and exchanges in "sensitive fields," the design of exchange and training partnerships, campus atmosphere, and new considerations around academic integrity and freedom.

What is the current state of play in universities in the United States and post-election Canada? What are the special challenges facing UBC in particular?

Professor Paul Evans is appointed with the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) at the University of British Columbia. He is HSBC Chair in Asian Research at the Institute of Asian Research. His full bio can be found here.

John Krige has a PhD in physical chemistry from the University of Pretoria (South Africa) and a PhD in the history and philosophy of science from the University of Sussex (Brighton, UK). He joined the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2000 as Kranzberg Professor in the School of History, Technology, and Society. His full bio can be found here.