Harvard relocates language programme from China to Taiwan, cites 'lack of friendliness'

Harvard University is shifting its Chinese language programme from Beijing to Taipei, Taiwan's capital, beginning next year, citing an 'unwelcoming climate' from the host institution, PTI reported.

Jennifer Liu, head of the Harvard Beijing Academy summer study abroad programme, told student newspaper The Harvard Crimson, "The programme decided to move to Taipei due to a perceived lack of friendliness from the host institution, Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU)."

The Ivy League American University's decision to relocate the programme to Taiwan is seen as a snub by China, which considers the isolated island part of the mainland. According to Liu, the Harvard programme has had difficulty obtaining the necessary classrooms and dorms in recent years. "We truly couldn't conduct the programme with the quality that we are aiming to deliver to our kids given the environment they presented," Liu added.

According to The Harvard Crimson report, the BLCU, for example, did not provide a single residence for all students, instead of requiring the programme to split the students into two distinct dorms of varying quality or to find a hotel that could keep their students together. The report further stated that Liu feels the hostile environment is the result of a subtle shift in the Chinese government's sentiments toward US institutions, accelerated by (President) Xi Jinping's rise to power. Earlier, the programme would hold a small party to commemorate the United States' Independence Day on July 4th, during which students and instructors would eat pizza and sing the national anthem. However, in 2019, BLCU informed the programme that the holiday celebration could no longer be held. According to Liu, pupils have been warned that they are not permitted to sing or celebrate.

However, William Kirby, a China Studies professor and head of the Harvard Centre Shanghai, claimed the change was made for practical reasons and that interactions between the Ivy League university and Chinese scholars would continue.

"This is not a time in which this university is retreating from its engagement with China – it’s actually seeking every way possible to deepen it," Kirby told the newspaper.

China closed its borders in March 2020

The Harvard Beijing Academy, which began in 2005 and is jointly managed by Harvard and BLCU, is a nine-week programme in which students from US colleges such as Harvard and Yale learn Chinese language and culture and participate in exchanges with Chinese families. According to the BLCU website, around 1,300 students had participated as of 2019. According to the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong, the Harvard programme has been discontinued since last year because of COVID-19.

The pandemic, according to the report, has caused visa issues. Since March last year, China has closed its borders to most international travel and stopped issuing visas. Over 23,000 Indian students, most of whom were studying medicine in China, were also stranded in India due to Beijing's refusal to ease travel restrictions for them.

(With inputs from PTI)

Image: AP