China claimed universities in Australia deliver low-quality education. The action was believed to be politically driven and meant to raise questions about the $38 billion Down Under higher education sector.
Chinese Ministry of Education slammed Australian universities
ZHUHAI, CHINA - OCTOBER 31: School kids hold artwork made by them out of a tennis ball at a primary school in Zhuhai on Day 2 of 2018 WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai on October 31, 2018 in Zhuhai, China.
The Chinese Ministry of Education slammed several Australian universities. The department said they were struggling to spend enough on teaching.
The Australian reported that Australian universities are also likely to come under the oversight of a special task force that the ministry will set up to audit cooperation courses as their relationship worsens. With concerns that the highly profitable education sector could be next, China has already devastated many Australian companies with import tariffs, including meat, barley, and wine.
"The degree center will initiate a special assessment task force to improve quality assurance. Besides, the task force aims to promote the sustainable growth of the Australia-China joint cooperation programs," the ministry said.
After 2018, the University of Southern Queensland said it had not offered any of the courses. However, RMIT said it was aware of the ministry's remarks and encouraged 'engagement with our programs' external quality reviews, as per Daily Mail.
Read also: China Formally Detains Australian Journalist Cheng Lei for Allegedly Spreading State Secrets
Swinburne University said it is trying to ensure adherence to Australian and Chinese regulations. Also, Griffith University said China had "not raised any questions about our joint projects and found more information through the Australian embassy in Beijing" about this issue.
The higher education sector is worth about $38 billion to the Australian economy. But it has struggled to prevent international students from returning due to border closures. This month, Universities Australia warned that more employment cuts are expected due to the continuous pandemic economic effect.
Read also: Biden Announces New Pentagon Task Force to Review China's Strategy
China urges students to disclose religious beliefs
Meanwhile, according to a Chinese parent who recently moved to the United States, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials in one Chinese city are mandating students to disclose their religious views. The parent spoke to The Epoch Times and voiced fear that religious persecution could be seen in China.
Recently, Yan Tao, a new Chinese immigrant to Los Angeles whose daughter attended primary school in China, was informed through a chat group on WeChat. It is a parenting group at his daughter's kindergarten. The letter sent by the headteacher said: "According to the notice of the office of the municipal Party committee and the municipal education bureau, schools are immediately required to perform statistics on the status of the religion of students."
The teacher constantly mentioned that students with religious beliefs should consider contacting the teacher. Yan was very shocked but still concerned that the Chinese communist government would carry out large-scale religious discrimination.
According to another Bitter Winter report, Chinese leader Xi Jinping is "forcibly promoting patriotic education" to persecute the youth with communist ideology. On September 16, 2020, when Xi visited a primary school in Chenzhou city in Hunan's central province, he emphasized the inclusion of the "red gene" in students and the "transmission from generation to generation of the revolutionary cause."
