Recently, the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in Switzerland announced the official termination of its joint educational program in China, terminating its contract with the Shenzhen International Design Academy. This academy was jointly operated by the Zurich University of the Arts and Harbin Institute of Technology, with a planned cooperation period of 30 years.
According to Swiss German public broadcaster SRF’s report on Monday, October 28th, ZHdK President Karin Mairitsch stated that the main reasons for ending the cooperation included barriers brought by differences in educational systems and operational risks. She emphasized that political factors also influenced the decision but were not the main reasons.
The collaboration project was originally promoted by former ZHdK President Thomas D. Meier but sparked numerous controversies when signed. This was because the Shenzhen International Design Academy is affiliated with Harbin Institute of Technology, which has a military background related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is one of the CCP’s “seven sons of defense”.
At the time, Meier also emphasized in media interviews that ZHdK would not serve the (CCP’s) surveillance system.
In May 2021, the school’s student organization initiated a petition demanding the termination of cooperation with Chinese universities. The then Student Union President David Bircher stated, “In a design school, design is not just about creating aesthetically pleasing chairs.”
As early as 2020, the US government, out of national security considerations, imposed sanctions on more than a dozen universities, including the CCP’s “seven sons of defense”.
In September of this year, the Georgia Institute of Technology announced the termination of its cooperation project with Tianjin University. Previously, the US Congress had questioned the project for its alleged cooperation with entities with connections to the CCP military, and an investigation was conducted.
The withdrawal of ZHdK has reportedly displeased the Shenzhen International Design Academy. The Chinese side has invested a large amount of money in the cooperation project, potentially leading to disputes over financial responsibilities and even the possibility of legal action.
The exit of the Zurich University of the Arts also highlights the mismatch between the education systems under the Chinese Communist regime and those of democratic countries.
Ralph Weber, Associate Professor of the European Global Studies Institute at the University of Basel in Switzerland, explained that maintaining such cooperation across the education systems and scales of the two countries, Switzerland and China, is not easy. With a large number of students on the Chinese side and more complex administrative procedures, ZHdK faced significant challenges in management.