On May 6, 2021, the Taiwan Pro-Hong Kong Front and other groups held a press conference to demand that the Academia Sinica revoke the membership of HKU President Zhang Xiang, who suppressed democracy on campus.
The University of Hong Kong recently decided to take back the student union site on the grounds that the student union was acting increasingly politicized. The incident has aroused the concern of local and overseas academic circles, and Zhang Xiang, the president of HKU, has become a target of the public. Taiwan’s pro-Hong Kong front and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s legislators held a press conference on Thursday (6), criticizing Zhang Xiang for pandering to the Communist Party and leading the suppression of democracy and academic freedom on campus, demanding the Academia Sinica to revoke Zhang Xiang’s academician status and establish a mechanism for the withdrawal of academicians from the university. (Zhong Guangzheng reported from Taipei)
In a press conference, Wu Ruiren, an associate researcher of Taiwan’s Institute of Taiwan History at Academia Sinica, criticized Zhang Xiang as a two-faced person, but the characteristics of pandering to the Communist Party have overflowed. If CTRC lets it go unchecked and allows such academicians to continue to infiltrate the national academic system and thus determine the national academic direction, it may evolve into a national security issue.
On May 6, 2021, Wu Ruiren, an associate researcher at the Institute of Taiwan History of Academia Sinica, said that if Zhang Xiang continues to serve as an Academician of Academia Sinica, it may evolve into a national security issue. (Photo by Chung Kwong-ching)
Wu Ruiren said: On the surface he is a well-known Chinese-American materials scientist and the current president of the world-renowned University of Hong Kong, very neutral, but from my observation of his words and actions, it is obvious that he has another face. He strongly identifies with the Chinese Communist regime, supports the National Security Law, supports the Anti-Sending to China Ordinance, supports the Hong Kong police to suppress the public, and joins the anti-democracy pro-establishment group, while upholding Beijing’s will to act as a faithful fighter to suppress the academic freedom of the University under his leadership, such as the introduction of Chinese Communist Party cadres, and the firing of Professor Tai Yiu-ting, and he harms the university autonomy of the University of Hong Kong, such as condoning the entry of anti-riot police into the campus.
Wu Ruiren also believes that the preparatory meeting for the election of Academicians of the Academia Sinica resolved last year that nominated Academicians must have the nationality of the Republic of China, but Zhang Xiang was elected as an Academician in 2012, after a long period of time, it is no longer retroactive.
Executive President Su Tseng-chang’s daughter and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislator Su Qiao-hui said that CTRC should comprehensively review the current selection method of academicians, and when it comes to major incidents and controversies, it should even establish a mechanism for the withdrawal of academicians and removal of their names, in order to demonstrate CTRC’s determination to defend academic freedom and support democracy and human rights in Hong Kong.
On May 6, 2021, DPP legislator Su Qiaowei: Academia Sinica should establish a withdrawal mechanism to remove unqualified academicians. (Photo by Chung Kwong-ching)
Su Qiaowei said: before his academic profession, adhere to a value is the leaders of the school should have more as well as we in the academic institutions should have the guidelines, so we look from this side, we think he is no longer qualified. However, based on respect for the Academia Sinica, as a legislator, at least I have always advocated that I do not intend to amend the law to directly interfere with the actions of the Academia Sinica. But I am here to call, hope and expect that our highest academic institution, Academia Sinica, can set its own code of conduct, that is, the establishment of the delisting mechanism.
Another DPP legislator, Fan Yun, said that Academicians of Academia Sinica should have the highest academic ethical standards and should establish a code of ethics, as well as an exit mechanism. The July meeting of Academicians of the Academia Sinica should put the code of conduct ethics on the agenda.
Fan Yun said: I hope to be able to call on the president of the Academia Sinica can take responsibility, do not become a collective escape of academicians, to put it more difficult to say that this is not a long-term criminal phenomenon, deliberately do not look at the nationality of academicians. You can ask the nationals of the Republic of China today to see if there are any laws and regulations about the whole country, and no one thinks that the whole country includes an American who does not have the nationality of the Republic of China, not to mention that some Americans who were born on the other side of the Taiwan Strait have never had the nationality of the Republic of China for one day, and he has been arrested by the FBI for breaking the law. I think through this section today, I hope that we can all join together to express our concern that this is actually a potential national security crisis.
The University of Hong Kong Student Union recently issued an article attacking the University of Hong Kong for promoting national security education on campus, triggering criticism from the People’s Daily. The University of Hong Kong issued a statement on April 30, condemning the university’s student union for its radical words and actions, terminating administrative practices such as the student union’s collection of membership fees and withdrawing the student union’s right to manage and use facilities on campus. The student union criticized President Zhang Xiang for taking the lead in suppressing democracy on campus.
The former HKUSU alumni, including Zhang Kunyang and Zhou Yongkang, jointly issued an open letter to Academia Sinica President Liao Junzhi on the evening of the 5th, calling for the revocation of HKU President Zhang Xiang’s membership in Academia Sinica, expressing that Academia Sinica does not accept people who pander to the Communist Party.
Recent Comments