The defenders of Uighur Human Rights criticize Harvard University for the training of officials of a Chinese paramilitary organization sanctioned by the United States government for human rights violations, including mass detention and forced labor in the autonomous region of Xinjiang.
Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) officials participated in the THAN Chan School of Public Health Health Harvard executive training programs in 2023 and 2024, according to research in the risk of reflection strategy focused on the China reflection group. The program, provided in partnership with National Healthcare Security Administration China, focused on the governance of health insurance and public health policy. Strategy risks were later reported by the Washington Free Beacon.
The US Treasury Department sanctioned the XPCC in July 2020 under the Global Magnitsky Act, citing the central role of the organization in the implementation of mass surveillance, internment and forced labor policies targeting Uighurs and other Turkish minorities. The sanctions prohibit individuals and American institutions to engage in most forms of cooperation with the XPCC.
“The XPCC is not a neutral administrative organization – it is the paramilitary branch of the Chinese Communist Party,” said Plaidoyer and Communications Director at Campaign for Uyghurs. “By forming his civil servants, Harvard may legitimize an accomplice system of the genocide.”
Sohail said the XPCC is “accomplice of forced sterilizations, organ harvesting and experiences contrary to ethics on Uighurs”.
“The link of the institution with XPCC officials after the imposed sanctions is not only ignorance of the American law and policy; It gives legitimacy to those responsible for mass internment, forced labor and systemic human rights violations, “she said.
The XPCC, also known as “Bingtuan”, works like an almost military and economical body in the Xinjiang. He oversees the main agricultural and industrial sectors and maintains his own police, courts and media. US officials accused him of helping to administer detention facilities and forced work programs at the center of Chinese Uighurs.
The American government has determined the abuses against Uighurs, a mainly Muslim group, is equivalent to a genocide. It is estimated that 1.8 million UGHurs were interned in Xinjiang, in the Far West in China, after 2017.
China denies allegations of rights violations. His Ministry of Commerce describes XPCC as “a strategic force for national stability and border defense” which works under “a single management system which combines the functions of the party, the government, the military and the companies”. It manages development areas, 16 listed companies and more than 3,000 companies.
Henryk Szadziewski, director of research at the Uyghur Human Rights project, said American institutions should understand the legal and ethical risks to work with sanctioned entities.
“The XPCC is under American sanctions for crimes of atrocity targeting Uighurs,” he said. “It is the responsibility of university establishments in the United States – and elsewhere – to be aware of these sanctions and to avoid any form of cooperation which could violate US law or undermine human rights.”
The risks of strategy, which first pointed out the 2023 training, described the participation of the XPCC as part of a broader model of Chinese state entities seeking credibility thanks to partnerships with Western university establishments. Emma Barss, group’s research director, said that American universities should take on greater responsibility for foreign collaborations.
“Commitment with groups like the XPCC is not neutral of value,” Barss told RFA. “Universities must recognize the role they play as a strong cultural and political influence. They should be much more cautious about the types of groups with which they are committed and thus legitimacy. ”
Harvard did not respond to several requests for RFA comments before publication. In a statement to The Free Beacon, a spokesperson for Harvard’s Th Chan School of Public Health said that the training sessions were organized in cooperation with National Healthcare Security Administration, or NHSA, and that the inclusion of the XPCC was managed by the Chinese authorities.
“Each year, the NHSA invites local officials who administer health insurance and care programs to the elderly in each administrative region of China,” spokesperson for Beacon Free. “In Xinjiang, this often includes XPCC officials.”
The spokesman also told The Free Beacon that the program was aimed at “strengthening the capacity of civil servants through China to create effective insurance programs with sustainable financial models”. The course would have been followed by 50 to 60 local officials from various provinces each year.
The linguistic references referenced the participation of XPCC in the 2019 inaugural training was included on a Harvard website, but deleted later. The Harvard communications office told the free tag that it was part of an overhaul of the website that had affected several departments.
The controversy occurs while Harvard faces an in -depth examination of his ties with foreign governments, including China. Between 2019 and 2022, the university received nearly $ 70 million in Chinese sources, more than any other country, according to American data from the education department cited by the Journal of the college The Harvard Crimson.
Harvard faces the pressure of the Trump administration, which retains part of its federal funding against an alleged anti -Semitism on the campus. The administration also proves its foreign links.
Trump criticisms, however, praised Harvard’s desire to defend academic freedom while the administration seeks more influence on its operations.
Bill Ackman, an eminent Donator of Harvard, publicly commented the XPCC reports on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “It is not a good look for @harvard. Harvard should immediately approach these accusations and ensure transparency to prove that it is not correct – or alternately, explain how it was allowed to happen. “
Edited by Mat Pennington.