Universities must be wary of ¡°kidnap diplomacy¡± when they send academics to China, but they must also avoid an ¡°overcorrection¡± by discouraging Chinese research students, according to Deakin University security expert Greg Barton.

Professor Barton told the??that universities needed to be ¡°more risk-averse¡± about sending people to China, along with Iran and Turkey. He said that Beijing¡¯s detention of the ¡°two Michaels¡± from Canada, in apparent retaliation to the 2018 arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver, illustrated the dangers.

The ¡°theatre¡± of the Canadian men¡¯s release following Ms Meng¡¯s repatriation last month was ¡°another own goal¡± for China, said Professor Barton, chair in global Islamic politics at the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation.

¡°Hostage-taking is a reality in China,¡± he said. ¡°We need to accept that if we¡¯re sending personnel to China today, particularly if they were born in China or have Chinese heritage.¡±

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He said that China-related anxieties exerted a ¡°psychological¡± toll in the West. ¡°I wish for China¡¯s sake that it wasn¡¯t doing so poorly at projecting itself to the world because it¡¯s undermining its own interests and all of our interests. But this period will pass. We just have to get through [it],¡± he said.

¡°We will have to think 10, 15, 20 and 30 years out how we engage with China. We¡¯re moving away from being so invested in China, but [it] remains big and important for everyone and no one wants a confrontation. Engagement is the way forward even if China is not doing a very good job of making itself likeable, at least as far as the Communist Party leadership is concerned.¡±

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Professor Barton presented Australian survey findings suggesting that Chinese president Xi Jinping evoked the least confidence of any major world leader apart from North Korea¡¯s Kim Jong-un. Relations with China ranked fourth in a list of Australian security threats, below cyberattacks, climate change and epidemics, with respondents were also worried about a military conflict over Taiwan.

Ninety-five per cent of Australians supported efforts to reduce economic dependence on China, and 57 per cent backed restrictions on joint research in defence and security-related fields.

But Professor Barton said universities should not be ¡°excessively concerned¡± about Chinese students in Australia, including postgraduates in science and technology fields. ¡°We need to be cyber-savvy when it comes to managing our own data, but we shouldn¡¯t see ghosts in every corner,¡± he told the conference.

¡°Even if somebody is sent by their government to try and get knowledge to help their military programme, there¡¯s still the wonderful opportunity in the educational experience of them being transformed. As this student becomes a senior leader, she ¨C through her experience of living in Australia ¨C tips this curve around from China being isolationist and defensive to much more open and trusting and engaging.¡±

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Professor Barton said that the ¡°bureaucratic burden of reporting¡± of universities¡¯ international engagement had become excessive. ¡°We need as an industry sector to push back and say, ¡®Let¡¯s be realistic about this. Let¡¯s not talk ourselves into a moral panic¡¯. We can only solve these problems by engaging.¡±

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com