The think tank Henry Jackson Society released a report calling for clarification on whether Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) across the UK should register their activities as foreign power-controlled entities. The report highlights that over 90 CSSAs are controlled by the Chinese regime and should be subject to scrutiny. The CSSAs are to be overseen by Chinese diplomats in the UK as part of the United Front Work system of China. This poses questions for students who run CSSAs as “willing participants”.
The Henry Jackson Society report reveals that the CSSAs are “falling between the cracks” of scrutiny because they are registered under the students’ union and are not subject to FOI requests. Universities struggle to see individual CSSAs as independent student societies. The Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, which affects England, may lead to universities being required to examine CSSA behaviors.
Anson Kwong, the report author, recommends that universities and student unions should proactively investigate CSSAs’ abusive behaviors. He also calls on the government to investigate and issue guidance on whether CSSAs should register under the new Foreign Activities and Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS). The Home Office is working on setting up this two-tier scheme, which will require foreign agents and entities, apart from diplomats, to report activities intended to influence UK politics.