Minister in dialogue with Chinese embassy after threat to Chinese UvA students
The Dutch foreign minister discussed with the Chinese embassy the threats Chinese UvA students received from the Chinese government. They reported receiving anonymous death threats and phone calls from China to Folia last May.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp Foreign recently initiated a meeting with the Chinese embassy. He did so in response to reports by Folia and EenVandaag about threats to Chinese students at the UvA by the Chinese government.
That reports the Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins this week in response to parliamentary questions from the VVD. Bruins told that his colleague minister pointed out to China the importance of protecting academic freedom and freedom of expression, including Chinese students here.
Bruins also reveals that he will raise the matter with his fellow Chinese education minister. He will also do so based on the 2020 report ‘China’s influence on education in the Netherlands: an exploration’, conducted by research institute Clingendael. It revealed that state agents are trying to influence students at Dutch educational institutions. Bruins will also include Amnesty International’s report ‘On my Campus, I’m afraid’, published in 2024, in which Chinese students - including those in the Netherlands - say they feel pressure from China when studying at Western universities.
In addition to addressing the Chinese government, minister Bruins says he will once again engage with institutions such as the UvA on his conclusions regarding countering foreign interference. In particular, he refers students to the university’s confidential advisor.
Death threats
In May, Folia wrote about two Chinese students, one from semi-autonomous Hong Kong, who were harassed on several occasions by the Chinese government or by Chinese fellow students. They received death threats on social media over their statements at university, received anonymous phone calls if they had stood up for trans rights in an article, for example, and feared immediate arrest upon their return.
Following that article, EenVandaag made the item ‘Death threats and anonymous messages: how Chinese students are intimidated in the Netherlands’ with these students. VVD MPs Claire Martens and Eric van der Burg subsequently asked questions to the minister of education in August about the safety of students.
