George Leef’s latest Martin Center column questions American universities that align themselves with their Chinese counterparts.

Academic freedom has long been a guiding principle for American colleges and universities: Neither faculty nor students should be told what to say or punished for saying whatever they think. That principle has been under attack in recent years as militants try to drive out those who dissent from their beliefs, but for the most part, academic freedom still reigns.

Conversely, academic freedom is an alien concept in China, where the tradition of state control over most aspects of life means that universities must conform to the official ideology. …

… The Chinese government is focused on control and therefore wants to prevent the spread of criticism and dissent. No doubt its demand for rigid adherence to the party line has much to do with the often-heard observation that Chinese graduates don’t exhibit much creative thinking. But why should Americans care about the way the Chinese government deals with dissent?

The answer is that some American universities have established ties with China through what are called Confucius Institutes (CI). Beginning in 2005, the Chinese government has established more than one hundred of these programs at American colleges and universities, and hundreds more in primary and secondary schools. They offer courses on Chinese language and culture, funded by an agency of the Chinese government’s Ministry of Education called the Hanban.

Of course, there is nothing objectionable about the study of Chinese language and culture. Nor is there necessarily any reason to worry that the government is funding these programs. The problem is that, as with other aspects of education, the government can’t resist the temptation to exert its authority.