One of the world’s most prestigious and well-known Ivy League universities is hosting a high-ranking Chinese official and diplomat this week for a groundbreaking, closely watched visit.
Lu Shaye, the director of the Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Department of Asian Affairs, arrived at Brown University to take part in the ‘China Speaking Tour’, a program to ‘facilitate cross-cultural understanding’. Lu’s presence at the Ivy League school has garnered some attention, however, due to his controversial views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Despite his title as an official diplomat for the Chinese government, Lu has become infamous for his outspoken contempt for western democracies. In the past, he has publicly praised the CCP for its “achievements” and warned against what he calls “westernizing and dividing” measures.
Well aware of Lu’s reputation, Brown University representatives have been adamant in their stance that they do not share Lu’s views. Rather, their primary mission is to provide a “safe, open and diverse learning environment” for the university’s students. In an official statement released this week, the Ivy League school reaffirmed their commitment to fostering “fruitful dialogue” with all subjects, stressing that it is their intention to bring people from different backgrounds together to “understand, discuss and implement solutions” to current global issues.
In an interview earlier this week, Brown University professor Stanley Einstein said that Lu had been invited to the campus to “war us better” and open up a dialogue on China’s policies. “It is not a one-sided conversation, it is meant to create meaningful dialogue between two different perspectives,” he said.
The visit has led to a great deal of controversy, however, with some experts warning of the dangers of allowing a high-ranking CCP official to have an open platform on an Ivy League campus. The main concern seems to be that Lu and the CCP will use the visit as an opportunity to spread their propaganda and “warp” the university’s public opinion.
Lu’s visit to Brown University comes at a tense time in relations between China and the United States, particularly in academia. While it is not the first time that the Ivy League school has hosted a controversial foreign official, the presence of Lu Shaye — and the purpose of his visit — is sure to be closely scrutinized and analyzed in the coming days.