DN has been able to reveal how research students and guest researchers who have been admitted to Sweden via a Chinese program must sign secret agreements and rules.
The program is called the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC) and is run by the Chinese regime. Every year hundreds of Chinese are selected to be sent to foreign universities all over the world. Among other things, to several Swedish universities.
In the secret agreements and the guidelines, which are legally binding, they are forced, among other things, to certify their loyalty to the leadership of the Communist Party and promise to serve the regime’s interests. Those who violate something in the regime’s agreement risk “consequences”.
– I take this very seriously. Sweden is in a new security policy situation. This is very serious information and we welcome this review, says Education Minister Mats Persson (L).
Does the government see any need to act?
– Yes, already before Christmas we tasked Swedish universities to do more to prevent, among other things, espionage. But we are prepared to do more, and we are following this closely. The information you obtained shows the seriousness of the situation. It is important that we are not naive about this.
Do you see a need for more universities to stop collaborations with CSC?
– I have great confidence in Swedish universities. And we are prepared to give them all the tools needed to deal with this type of situation.
Also the Sweden Democrats reacting to the disclosure. Patrick Reslow is a member of the education committee. He wants Swedish collaborations with CSC, where researchers and students are forced to sign the agreements, to be completely stopped.
– Such forms of dictatorship are in stark contrast to free research and do not belong in a democracy. We assume that no new students with such contracts are accepted and that regulations are established to maintain and control this, says Patrick Reslow and continues:
– Under no circumstances can we accept that the Chinese regime sends students here with the aim of doing their business on Swedish soil. It is not least about protecting individuals from the oppression of the communist regime.
Some Swedish universities has now chosen to completely stop cooperation with the Chinese Scholarship Council. This concerns, for example, Lund University, Luleå University of Technology and Uppsala University.
The Karolinska Institute has temporarily chosen to pause the collaboration, while the Royal Institute of Technology intends to continue.
Read more: China’s secret agreement with students in Sweden – requires loyalty to the regime
