Dharamsala, February 5 – The Chinese government has removed the University of Calgary from its list of accredited institutions — a move school officials say is connected to the Dalai Lama’s visit last fall.
The university hosted the 1989 Nobel Peace Laureate and awarded him an honorary degree when he visited the city in September last year.
In December, officials were made aware the Chinese government had removed the university from a list posted on the Ministry of Education’s website.
Now the university is concerned about the fate of Chinese nationals who have already obtained a degree or are working toward one at the institution.
“Our biggest concern is we don’t want to disadvantage current or prospective students or our alumni,” university spokeswoman Colleen Turner said Wednesday.
Officials from the Chinese consulate in Calgary met with university representatives in April last year to express their opposition to the university inviting the Tibetan leader whom Beijing calls “separatist”.
“We knew at the time the decision to bring in the Dalai Lama would not be without controversy. All of that said, the decision to bring in the Dalai Lama was not intended to dishonour or disvalue our relationship with our Chinese partners or the Chinese community,” Turner said.
The Canada Tibet Committee condemned the Chinese government’s decision. “Unfortunately, the Chinese government chooses to bully rather than reason in order to resolve differences. Canadian universities are respected worldwide for embracing free and open debate where opinions are expressed without fear of reprisal,” said CTC executive director Dermod Travis.
“Western governments must realize that if we don’t change China through constructive and substantive engagement, China will change us. The decision to delist the University of Calgary is only the latest illustration of the authoritarian measures that the Chinese government will attempt to export to western democracies unless we make it abundantly clear that we will not be bullied by authoritarian regimes in our own countries.”
The university of Calgary currently has about 600 students from mainland China and Hong Kong.
