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Under fire, Professor Anne-Marie Brady, a China specialist, says there was nothing to justify the “gagging order” she faced after raising concerns about links between New Zealand academics and Chinese universities.
Several universities and academics complained about the material that Brady included in an article titled Holding a pen in one hand, wielding a pistol in the other: China’s exploitation of civilian channels for military purposes in New Zealand.
In response, UC initiated a review and sought the advice of two qualified outside advisers.
In announcing the results of the review on Friday, UC said it had dismissed the complaints against Brady and that she and her co-authors were meeting the responsibilities of UC policy and the Education Act of 1989. The committee noted that Brady’s work it was based on a long period of research and cited extensively from other sources.
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“However, as it was intended to be tabled by parliament and was succinct, it recommended that some sentences be amended to provide clarity,” the statement said.
Brady said I never saw anything to justify the complaints or “his order to gag me on this important issue affecting the integrity of our universities and their relationship with China.”
“The staff and students of the complaining institutions, the Universities of Victoria and Auckland, have as much at stake as I do in knowing that their vice chancellors will also defend academic freedom,” he said in a statement.
“They asked UC to suppress my academic freedom against a parliamentary presentation. My presentation contributed to improving the legislation by updating the regulation of strategic goods. “
Jane Patterson / RNZ
Professor Anne-Marie Brady has not violated University of Canterbury policy or the Education Act, the university says.
Brady said he wanted to know how academic research could be “attacked with disciplinary powers” instead of the normal publication of competing opinions and statements.
The New Zealand universities that complained about the research article called it inflammatory, inaccurate and unprofessional.
The document raised concerns about links between New Zealand academics and Chinese universities engaged in defense research, suggesting that the technology developed by Kiwi could end up being used by the Chinese military.
In response, the University of Auckland (UA) and Wellington’s Te Herenga Waka-Victoria University sent formal complaints to Brady’s employer, the University of Canterbury, which launched a formal review of the document in August.
The UA complaint centered on the newspaper’s references to Wei Gao, a materials science and engineering professor who, according to the newspaper, was linked to a think tank related to political interference activities of the Chinese Communist Party.
He mentioned that he was appointed a distinguished professor at the National University of Defense Technology in China, which later established a Center for Quantum Information. The center apparently recruited Gao, he said.
Gao was never involved in quantum computing (used in encryption) or military research, according to the complaint. The degrees awarded to him by Chinese universities were honorary and their joint research helped both countries and improved global research.
UA demanded an apology.
On Friday, UA said it “strongly upholds the principles of academic freedom,” but maintained its original complaint as the UC review did not address the issues it raised.
“The University of Auckland requests Professor Brady to amend her post to reflect Professor Gao’s correct academic record,” it said in a statement.
Canterbury University
Professor Anne-Marie Brady was named a Fellow of the Royal Society for her contribution to the advancement of the humanities.
Victoria’s complaint accused Brady and his associates of making false and misleading statements about the security of its digital infrastructure and also about a New Zealand-China intranet project led by Huawei.
Victoria said Huawei did not provide the wireless internet infrastructure across its multiple campuses and that the university was not a partner, as it is alleged, in an intranet between China and New Zealand.
“These unsubstantiated claims and outright falsehoods constitute a serious violation of accepted academic standards. We find it highly unprofessional to appoint individual VA investigators without giving those individuals an opportunity to respond or clarify the information in the report itself. “
Linking Victoria’s investigative efforts to the Chinese military’s modernization agenda was “inaccurate, inflammatory and potentially defamatory.”
The Auckland complaint was handled by Professor Jenny Dixon, who oversees the Confucius Institute in Auckland and has chaired the advisory board of the Peking University New Zealand Center.
Established in 2007 and located on the Auckland campus, the Confucius Institute is jointly sponsored by the universities of Auckland and Fudan (Shanghai).
According to the Australian Institute for Strategic Policy in Canberra, Fudan University appears to be engaging in high levels of work for the military in materials science, including stealth technology.
Peking University (PKU) is also involved in defense research and has many ties to China’s nuclear weapons program. The New Zealand Center at PKU was established in 2007, and by 2014, all eight New Zealand universities were represented in the project.
Government agencies Education New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade are also key stakeholders in the project.
