Students enrolled at British university campuses in China are being required to swear allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and participate in ideological ceremonies promoting loyalty to Beijing, according to a report by the China Strategic Risks Institute (CSRI) and cited by The Times UK.
The report examined documents and publications from at least 45 UK universities that operate lucrative joint ventures with Chinese academic institutions, known as Joint Educational Institutes (JEIs). These partnerships allow Chinese students to earn British degrees while studying in China.
However, the CSRI warns that these programmes are under “large-scale Chinese Communist Party ideological control,” with students subjected to pervasive propaganda, surveillance, and indoctrination. The findings raise renewed concerns about Chinese influence over UK higher education and the risks to academic freedom.
At the Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University — one of the first such partnerships — nearly 1,000 students reportedly took part in a 2021 flag-raising ceremony marking the CCP’s centenary. Photographs showed uniformed guards and students saluting the national flag, while the university’s president urged attendees to “resolutely listen to the party and follow the party.”
Similar activities were noted at other British-affiliated campuses. The Dundee International Institute of Central South University held a military-style event in 2022 where hundreds of students “pledged their allegiance to the party,” while the Southampton Ocean Engineering Joint Institute in Harbin hosted trips during which students and staff raised their fists to the Chinese flag and made oaths to the CCP.
The CSRI also found evidence that students at these joint campuses are required to complete compulsory “ideology courses” emphasizing “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism.” Course materials reportedly discourage debate and promote one-party rule.
For example, Queen Mary University of London’s partnership with Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an requires students to take at least 16 credits in “ideological and political courses.” The University of Nottingham’s Ningbo campus, established in 2004, was also identified as delivering CCP-related content.
According to the report, staff responsible for “ideological education” and “value guidance” operate within these institutions, and surveillance is allegedly conducted through “guidance officers” and “informants” monitoring political compliance on campus.
The Times UK notes that these partnerships generate substantial income for participating universities — Queen Mary University of London earned £16.57 million from its China campus in 2023, while the University of Nottingham reported £9.55 million.
CSRI analyst and report author Tau Yang warned that UK universities risk undermining their stated commitments to equality and diversity by deferring to CCP influence for financial reasons. “It is time for universities to move beyond soundbites of equality and diversity and instead demonstrate genuine commitments to those principles within their international partnerships,” Yang said.
Under the UK’s Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, universities are legally required to protect lawful free expression. The findings could have implications for how these partnerships are managed in future, as calls grow for greater transparency and oversight of foreign academic collaborations.
The universities named in the report were approached for comment.
