A report from The Guardian this week found that Sheffield Hallam University had shut down research from Professor Laura Murphy concerning human rights abuses by the communist government in Beijing agains the Uyghur Muslim minority in China and the prevalence of forced labour in minerals supply chain, as has long been alleged in the supposed green energy sector over the components sourced for Chinese produced wind mills and solar panels.
The university claimed that the decision to shut down the research was prompted by concern for staff safety in China and over a defamation lawsuit from Chinese firms over a previous report, prompting the school’s insurance provider to drop the university as a client.
However, internal emails seen by the paper reportedly demonstrated that senior university officials expressed concern that such research could directly impact student recruitment from China, who have become a key financial crutch for many universities in the United Kingdom and who are in turn often reliant on Beijing to subsidise their tuition payments.
University staff in Beijing also reportedly faced intimidation from Chinese state security officers, who interrogated employees about research into China. An internal summary of the meeting reportedly described it as “threatening” and that the “message to cease the research activity was made clear”.
A few months later, Sheffield Hallam reportedly informed Chinese officials that the final phase of Professor Murphy’s research would not be published. A school administrator is quoted as writing: “Immediately, relations improved.”
The university reversed its decision to quash Professor Murphy’s research in October and said that it is “committed to supporting her to undertake and disseminate this important work.”
“We have apologised to Prof Murphy and wish to make clear our commitment to supporting her research and to securing and promoting freedom of speech and academic freedom within the law,” a Sheffield Hallam University spokesman said.
However, this week, the South Yorkshire Police said that it has since opened an investigation into “allegations fall under Section 3 of the National Security Act”, according to the BBC.
The section of the act refers to those found to be “assisting a foreign intelligence service” and a crime is committed when someone behaves in a manner with the intent to “materially assist a foreign intelligence service in carrying out UK-related activities.”
Chinese involvement with universities in Britain has become increasingly controversial, with some schools even being accused of working with Chinese military researchers to help the communist nation develop nuclear weapons technologies. Hundreds of other British academics have also faced accusations of working with Chinese military-tied groups to build weapons of “mass destruction”.
A 2021 report from the British government “established a correlation” between the financial dependence on Chinese student tuition and the amount of technology transfers from UK universities to entities tied to the CCP.
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