While the UW aims to strengthen ties with China, the communist nation has been criticized for its treatment of Tibet. A small, but vocal Tibetan population in Madison questions the partnership. This is the second article of the three-part series explores that the issue.
As UW-Madison students mobilize to protest the Chinese government’s alleged human right’s violations in Tibet, university officials plan to open an office in the communist nation that is widely considered one of the world’s most emerging countries.
Kerry Hill, the Communications Coordinator for the Division of International Studies, said the office set to open in Shanghai this June will provide the university with a way to facilitate American business, enhance faculty collaboration and create new opportunities for students to study abroad in China.
But while administrators are optimistic about the benefits of an increased UW presence in China, some members of Students for a Free Tibet, an organization dedicated to promoting Tibetan independence, have serious reservations. Some members said the university is on the road to compromising its ethical mission for the sake of preserving a free and democratic academic environment. In the past year, 19 Tibetans have lit themselves on fire and widespread protests have engulfed the small mountainous region to oppose alleged human rights violations from the Chinese government.
“Coming from a Tibetan’s perspective … and any person who would believe in human rights, I would strongly urge [the UW] to reconsider why they would want relations with a country that is known for atrocities,” said a Tibetan UW-Madison student who wished to remain anonymous.
However, not all members of Students for a Free Tibet share this student’s opinion. UW-Madison student Tenzin Dechen said he approves of the office as long as its purpose is purely academic and eases the process for students to study abroad in China.
While the program may foster study abroad opportunities in China for most students, UW-Madison student Tenzin Kesang said she is skeptical if UW’s foot in China would benefit Tibetans who wish to study there. Since she has Tibetan friends who allege the Chinese government followed them while they were studying in China, Kesang said she is concerned Tibetan students could have a tarnished experience in the country.
“I think that it should be equal both ways,” she said. “If our students are going to go study there, the students should include Tibetan students as well.”
According to Hill, the concerns of opening an office in a country with alleged human rights violations have not been ignored.
He said UW officials have consulted faculty who focus in relations with the country to discuss the ethical implications of increasing ties with China.
One of these faculty members who specializes in Chinese foreign policy, Political Science Professor Ed Friedman, said a distinction must be made between the unethical policies of the communist country and the efforts of a university to promote the best interest of students, faculty and researchers.
“You don’t want to confuse the University of Wisconsin with the United States of America,” Friedman said. “The university is committed to reaching out to the emerging and major new parts of the world.”
Additionally, Friedman said Chinese activists who want to end human rights violations in China and even the Tibetan leader, the Dalai Lama, would like to see an increased foreign presence in the country.
“You don’t easily go against the opinions of the brave and courageous people who are actually struggling for a better situation … in China,” he added.
While Friedman said these people hope the collective foreign presence of various foreign countries could eventually lead to societal reforms in China, he noted that ultimately a Chinese reform must come from within its own government.
“China is a big independent sovereign state and I don’t think it is going to be changed very much by what foreigners do,” he said.
The first article of the series can be found here. It focuses on members of Students for a Free Tibet speaking out against the Chinese government's alleged human rights violations.
The third article of the series can be found here. It follows approximately 500 Midwestern Tibetans and 'Free Tibet' supporters, including two UW-Madison students, protesting China's Vice President Xi Jinping's visit to Des Moines Iowa.
