UT rejects funding from group with Chinese Communist ties
The University of Texas has decided to forgo funding for its new China Policy Center from a foundation with ties to the branch of the Chinese Communist Party that manages influence operations abroad.
The decision by UT President Gregory L. Fenves followed an internal university review and a plea from Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who warned that accepting money from the China-United States Exchange Foundation could facilitate China’s propaganda efforts and impair the university’s credibility.
The developments were first reported in an opinion article in The Washington Post.
The China Policy Center, part of UT’s LBJ School of Public Affairs, opened in August, and Fenves’ decision to reject funding from CUSEF is something of a rebuke to the center’s executive director, David Firestein, and LBJ Dean Angela Evans.
Firestein did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment, and Evans referred questions to UT spokesman Gary Susswein, who provided a copy of a letter Fenves sent to Cruz on Friday.
Read more: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/rejects-funding-from-group-with-chinese-communist-ties/Iqtmb4CqCtw42IgSM43tyK/
