Transcripts For ALJAZ China On Campus 20240713

A drag on the global economy. Come. On aljazeera. I want to strengthen his University Campus and tensions are rising and then i lead a chant hey hey har har she has got to go i. Was at that moment that i was attacked. And universities owed billions of dollars a year from Chinese Student fees and Research Projects with china. But now fears a growing that these lucrative arrangements maybe posing as strategy is academic institutions Even National security at risk strata university use of pain sleepwalking that been in a coma its astonishing there is no excuse anymore. 11 east investigates how beijing is infiltrating a strategy is university. One day in november and executive assistant to the straggly National University in canberra read an email. It set off a cyber highest like now on this country has experienced before. As near as we can tell the 1st thing that our hackers did is they launched a spear phishing attack one where you didnt have to actually make a mistake normally have to click on something that was not the case. So this was really the 18. They were able to do things that were impressive and very hard to stop. Colleague i am a student in the vice chancellor as Student Leadership program i am currently working on a project which went to require help as a mentor. Over 6 weeks the hakas center of speed phishing emails impersonating a student and stuff to steal passwords for the universities databases. It was until 6 months after the infiltration of the i and you began at the university discovered a database containing nearly 2 decades worth of records of current and former students and stuff had been hacked. The database went back 1000 years and included several 100000 people and we do not know what data was taken up which person over what top. So they removed data from essential the database that contains when you were a student here your records passport details probably bank account details. They havent as shows this to be a highly organized well resourced sophisticated actor consistent with a state actor or you know a very well funded Group Sometimes associated with a state actor we understand that behind closed doors intelligence agencies say the evidence points to the culprit being china that may well be the case but its not always in the interests of government of course all the strength in people to point a finger at a knife and it may be that you dont have the literal smoking gun that you require for that irrefutable evidence publicly to make such an assertion. Senior strongly in Security Officials say they believe the Chinese Government was carrying out a high. Take espionage operation to collect information that could be used to compromise and blackmail the victim. Trains thousands of people who end up in the National Security community if and you has materials on these people that could be used to compromise them for example a history of of plagiarism or Sexual Harassment allegations then this is incredibly concerning and could undermine our National Security i and you graduate and influential china analyst alex joseph was one of 200000 people who was told his personal data may have been stolen. Just keep believes the iowa new has left itself wide open. And use one of the worlds leading universities for collaboration with the Chinese Military one example and you is that and you trained a scientist who was sent here by the Chinese Military as a ph d. Student working on Artificial Intelligence and specifically transforms working together with and you scientists who are receiving defense funding for the exact same research when he went back to china he was quickly promoted and is now head of the p. O. The chinese militaries drones one program we found 30 collaborations between an u. And Chinese Defense universities papers on aerial robots and drones and research that could be used to help stealth fighters hide themselves while communicating with military bases all of the work that we do is in the Public Domain so its not secret research its not for dollars it is there normally in some form that is much more generic now there are abilities for things to be dual use but we always again look at whether or not we think things are potentially able to do harm. Since 27 tane a straggly is security agencies have been warning universities about the risks of foreign interference. Publicly they dont. Just the Education Minister announced a University Foreign interference tasca force. Foreign interference is now at unprecedented levels in this country. Sauber intrusions which of a could in the last 3 to 4 years which. Should be a white cup called australia and its why cab call to a University Sector waica called our business sector or why cab call where government owners to go and see. The Chinese Government and its supporters deny that china poses a threat with nurses. And other Intelligence Units in australia making allegations direct or indirect you know against china you know we think these allegations are unfounded and without substantial evidence or should i think there are some forces in the china forces that are playing chinese academic professor chain home was recently brought to a stray or as part of a p. R. Campaign and was provided by the Chinese Embassy after it declined our request to interview the ambassador and most of. Those United Nations i think to date so far there has been no clear evidence you know you know you know evidence being produced but. To as i said incriminates china you know to be doing anything. With Chinese Student numbers of record highs australias most respected and prosperous universities are in the midst of a cultural and political transformation. With zeal for the rise of the Staff Sergeant but we also your work into the advent of the children. At the university of sydney one quarter of all students now come from china. Aspiring politician jackie who became the 1st chinese citizen in a stroller elected president of a University Student Representative Council i dont use your telephone. Today hes campaigning for the reelection of his group called panda as being andrew i can speak from entering without it cause yeah but many members are on the porch and it does not necessarily mean. Any kind of life and you know we at all will we love the country are all well our we love golf in china its not theres no dichotomy here where like you have to either love one country are not right and the purpose of us existing is to bridge that gap between international and domestic shouldnt so Day International zones can have to help to be betting in the community here. 42 on the world those who are going to all of you all want to be able to tell you because you are you know. An hour before polling closed the panthers were suspended from campaigning for breaching multiple roles including campaigning in mandarin and standing over students who were casting their votes. Last August Jackie who filmed a segment for a Chinese State t. V. Show called the china dream named after president xi jinping trademark political slogan. Is essentially Chinese Students from across the world from various Different Countries like canada romania america and obviously australia. To come together and share their love and feelings about china and their stories with Chinese Students and with. Jackie who says Chinese Students are being unfairly vilified ranch media have been accusing. Chinese international shouldnt of being of carrying out spy work you know straight and i think to accuse these students who are already facing a heavy amount of burden regardless whether its financial social or psychological to accuse them of spy working australia i think is quite absurd and the purpose of international shouldnt isnt here to carry out any spy work for for for for the government in china at least a vast majority of international dont have any of this kind of intention at all. The university of queensland has been at the center of the storm over chinese political interference on campus. They want to nora taishan day the university was the scene of an ugly confrontation between pro and anti beijing demonstrators. We decided to hold a protest on market day surrounding our universities closely for Chinese State because we decided that would be the best way to get attention to the course. Student activist through power flute latest city against vice chancellor peter horton over the universitys close connections with the Chinese Government. I led a chant hey hey heard peter has got to go and that was basically calling for peter white to resign or for his links to the Chinese Communist party while these human rights abuses are being perpetrated and then i let it stand hey hey heard her shes in pain has got to go. It was at that moment that i was attacked. I heard noises like there was a National Effort and they were shouting slogans. To chinas hong kong. Betrayers of china. 7 was. Was like. They were ugly sayings on both sides. There were close to 90000. 00 Chinese Students enrolled at the university of queensland they fees contribute a quarter of a 1000000000. 00 a year. In the last 5 years you cued received 24000000. 00 from agreements with chinese institutions and companies. It also hosts a branch of the Confucius Institute a language and Culture Program run by the Chinese Government called handbag which gives you cue up to 400000. 00 a year. University of queensland fast chancellor paid a whole year has forged strong links to china. 2013 he was appointed as an unpaid Senior Consultant to handbag and was later made a member of the council of Confucius Institute headquartered. Professor hall has also received hand bands outstanding individual of the year award. He stood down for man band. Last year after being advised hed need to declare it under a strangely this new foreign interference transparency scheme. There a conflict of interest between your commitment to academic independency q with your membership of the council at the Confucius Institute headquarters i believe not you know a stroller like any other country. Or foreign service. We always believe that in order to get the best out of open collaboration and that you have to engage and influence and what ive been trying to do is to influence the way that the chinese see their relationship with us rather than being influenced by the chinese are you confident that the Chinese Government or Chinese Communist party has an attempted to influence you. Im very confident that i havent been influenced i think it is concerning especially given what we know about the way the Chinese Government sees education in the Chinese Governments eyes education is a means of propaganda of brainwashing and controlling the thoughts of people so from history in University Vice chancellor to be advising the Chinese Government on education. From an optics perspective looks terrible. Last july at the university of queensland made chinas consul general in britain an adjunct professor the 5th such appointment of a chinese diplomat. Who is nominated by the director of u. Cuse Confucius Institute. The appointment of such people goes through a book well defined process. Anybody can nominate. Somebody for an affiliate position and it is not unusual we have 2500. 00 such a position. After the uku protest the consul general put out a statement praising the probe aging protesters for what he described as spontaneous patriotic behavior and condemning what he called the words and deeds of separatist country. I think its quite incredible that a man listed by the us your professor can seemingly endorse student at endorse violence against protesting and exercising their right to free speech and Free Assembly and continue to be a professor at the university of queensland months later made it very clear that we dont endorse any violent acts in a peaceful demonstration and through that you can conclude that i would disagree with somebody who would indorse that type of behavior. Theres been a lot of concerning activity at the university of queensland in gauges in particularly high levels of collaboration with the with chinese partners some of which has raised serious Human Rights Concerns so one example is that a scientist you q professor should. Set up a company in china called koala that was commercialize in his research and applying it towards monitoring people in the region of since you know. You cue professor shane hangtown developed cutting Edge Surveillance Technology thats now being used as part of a Mass Surveillance Program in chinas shinji province. Professor shane has received 2600000. 00 in grants from the struggling research council. Who. Is no longer a professor at duke you he stopped being an employee in 2017. I understand that he is back in china. He was an outstanding contributor to development of related research. And that capability is now being deployed for australias. Benefit. What he goes on to do. Subsequent to having left you to is something that we cant really control or make judgement about because we are not privy to the details of its activities in china. In january last year Chinese Media reported the announcement by haiyan darter of the. Stablish meant to have a joint tart official intelligence of the burra tree with the university of technology sydney. Theres very Little Information about the deal available its only an vailable in chinese language media but we can see an image of a director at high in data with an academic e. T. S. That means images of the agreement. Of. The u. T. S. Academic was associate damon director of the University Center for Artificial Intelligence professor louis comes here last month professor lew one of 3000000. 00 fellowship from the Australian Research council for a project to enable lot official intelligence to learn autonomous late from dot up there and there is. Actually. What response of Samantha Hoffman is concerned by the u. T. S. Higher data connection. I have to do is search a company like data and chinese on google and very quickly or come up with their relationships to the ministry of Public Security in particular in istria Public Security colleges because as soon as you have a company thats involved in the ministry of Public Security and one that advertises actually. Very openly that it is involved in change and that police state you have to ask why yes find that acceptable. Seized the reason. That it has confirmed a Research Project with higher data to develop technology for handwriting recognition. It seems as if data has built a relationship with scholars at the university but we also know that you to sydney seems to have signed other arraignments that you know what not technically illegal to raise major red flags we need to ask the social and political consequences of Technology Advancement america option of Technology Just just very broadly we need to start understanding the implications and so if there is a. A affirm thats backed by a regime that doesnt purport to be a liberal western democracy and its in gauging in what could be. Developments that help suppress people then thats a dangerous thing. In 27 tane u. T. S. Signed a 10000000 dollar deal with a state owned military Company Called China Electronics Technology Corp to fund a new High Tech Research center one of its projects focused on Public Security video analysis the company c t c had earlier developed a mass surveillance app used to monitor way gets inch in germany. U. T. S. Denies that research contributed to the app. But we can reveal its abandoning the project down to others would see t. C. Because of concerns expressed by strongly as defense department. Anyone seeking money needs to. Quite clearly understand what obligations are associated with that money and they also need to understand in the case of researchers what the technology they were searching could be used or misused for. Chinas next Major Research venture in a strat is currently being developed at the university of New South Wales. The torch innovation precinct is the chinese science ministries overseas High Tech Research sun and will host more than 60 Companies Including while way and c. T. C. Chinese companies have so far committed 47000000. 00 to the project. I say the Torch Technology park which is part of beijings Technology Transfer from the west to china as the plundering of some of the strollers most valuable intellectual property the University Say hope livius to the risks i think the university of new stuff while this is one of the handful of universities in a Straight Year which is completely in denial about whats going on. The university of New South Wales says it takes its security and compliance obligations very seriously and is came to work more closely with the government to ensure its operations are always in line with the National Interests of. Universities and now on the front. Climate of a clash of political and academic cultures thats posing chrysler challenges to the industry than ever before. Their entanglement with chinas or thora tarion regime is putting a strain academic integrity human rights commitments and National Security. Where all dealing with what is an emerging threat a threat which has rage levels of unprecedented proportions so we want to make sure its very clear what the responsibilities of universities are when it comes to collaborating with any government Foreign Government because its incredibly important that we get that collaboration right and that that collaboration is in the streisand interests. Some universities are starting to get the message many universe jews just have their is closed. Unable to hear the kinds of warnings. There is no excuse anymore perhaps 3 or 4 years ago University Vice chancellors could have said oh well we didnt know that is no longer excused naivety is no longer an excuse. Australias on personated fire season has killed more than a 1000000000 animals. Want to one ace to investigate a wild want to merge its. On aljazeera when the news breaks. When people who need to be heard general situation of course is affecting both of any of the conflict in graphics and the story needs to be told with exclusive interviews as a country that is used in follows and indepth reports movies have i phone 5 with ill just be around as teens on the ground this say that theyre against the united took place. 2 documentaries and live news. The politics of division have pushed india into the grip of a historical reckoning i am afraid because i know on the minorities in india a pretty good will do these ideas come from tragedy but more lives on what youve tried to settle its going to be is going to have a happy family be going on for joining me on here on the final part of my journey when i do become a target of the hindu 1st policy in search of indias an aljazeera. The on. Aljazeera. This is a news hour live from our Global Headquarters in doha coming up in the next 60 minutes china says 6 Health Workers have died and over 1700 are infected by the corona virus raising concerns about a shortage of medical resources a small group of elderly passengers has left the cruise ship off to pounce coals which has the largest concentration of corner virus cases outside china also this hour a rare rebuke from the u. S. Attorney general william barr says