Profs worry China preparing to spy on students

Some University of Manitoba professors are worried that the Chinese government is gearing up to spy on their students. A deal is being proposed that would see the Confucius Institute, which is sponsored by the Chinese government, rent space on the U of M campus for the purposes of teaching Chinese culture and history. “They would supply the teachers from China. What they teach is only what the Chinese government through the (Chinese) education ministry approves of,” Asian studies professor Terry Cameron told the Winnipeg Free Press. Cameron is concerned that China would use the institute to monitor the activities of Chinese international students studying at the U of M. “There isn’t a consulate — it would give them an agency to keep an eye on the students.” The faculty association is also officially objecting to the institute coming to the university. “Instructors working for non-U of M agencies typically have none of the academic rights and protections that U of M professors and instructors have,” president Cameron Morrill said.