On the eve of Tsinghua University’s 110th anniversary, Xi Jinping visited his alma mater on April 19, and was joined by Hu Angang, a professor at the university’s School of Public Administration, who was criticized by Tsinghua alumni three years ago for allegedly misleading Zhongnanhai. But now Hu is still Xi’s guest of honor.
Those accompanying Xi on his visit to Tsinghua University included Xi’s chief personnel officer, Chen Xi, head of the Central Organization Department, Wang Huning, a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, Xi’s chief butler, Ding Xuexiang, director of the Central Office, and Jiang Jinquan, director of the Central Political Research Office. Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, who is in charge of culture, education and health, Education Minister Chen Baosheng and Beijing Municipal Party Secretary Cai Qi also accompanied the inspection.
At the venue where Xi and others spoke with hundreds of faculty and student representatives, and the most notable attendee was Hu Angang, a professor at the university’s School of Public Administration and director of the Institute for National Studies.
In June 2017, Hu Angang, director of Tsinghua University’s National Research Institute, released a research report. According to the report, China has entered a period in which it has fully caught up and surpassed the United States in the main body, with the world’s top comprehensive national power.
In 2018, affected by the trade war between China and the United States, Hu Angang, once regarded as a “national teacher”, became a news figure as the director of the National Research Institute of Tsinghua University.
On August 2, 2018, a letter of appeal from Tsinghua University alumni to the president was widely circulated on the Internet, stating that the so-called research report on China surpassing the United States by Hu Angang, director of Tsinghua University’s Institute of National Intelligence, was a “research conclusion” that defied common sense with taxpayers’ money and was “misleading to the country and the people. On August 3, more than a thousand Tsinghua University alumni signed the petition.
The incident has aroused much attention. According to outside reports, it is uncommon in China for a thousand people to join together to demand the dismissal of a professor.
The appeal is mainly signed by former alumni of Tsinghua University and current students and faculty members, who say Hu Angang’s so-called academic report on “China’s comprehensive national power has surpassed that of the United States” is “misleading to the state and confusing to the people, leading other countries to be wary and neighbors to be afraid. “It is a mistake for the country and the people.
The criticism mainly focuses on the fact that Hu Angang’s views do not match the facts and are misleading. He was sarcastically described as “singing praises to the emperor”.
The joint appeal provoked a strong public reaction. Scholars and officials in various capacities have joined in the criticism of Hu’s views. “It plays a misleading role at home and an even more misleading role abroad.” According to Long Yongtu, a negotiator for China’s accession to the WTO.
Some criticism has also focused on the lack of rigor in academic research. Wang Tianding, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication at Ocean University of China, said that universities should not listen to distorted academic style problems, but should respond and correct possible academic style problems in a timely manner.
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