The chairman of University College London (UCL) is facing criticism after failing to disclose a previous role he played advising the pro-China leader of Hong Kong.
Victor Chu, originally a businessman who previously served as a trustee of the World Economic Forum, has worked as Chair of Council at UCL since August 2019. He holds significant influence in the strategic direction of the university.
However, despite a detailed profile on the UCL website, his role in the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisors (CECA) is not included.
Victor’s CECA position includes being a “high-level advisory body” to John Lee, a former police officer who has been Hong Kong’s Chief Executive since 2022, the Telegraph reports.
John has faced widespread international criticism for his hardline pro-Beijing stance and violent suppression of pro-democracy freedom groups. Protestors were attacked with tear gas and rubber bullets under his position as Secretary of Security in 2019.
Although Victor’s register of interests lists 48 other roles, it excludes his senior advisory position under John, even though UCL council members must declare any conflicts of interest.
They also must not “put themselves under any obligation, financial or otherwise, to other individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their duties”.
However, Victor has insisted he only attended one CECA meeting back in 2023, when the organisation was established, and said his appointment on Hong Kong’s CECA is “and always has been, a matter of public record”.
He added that it “may have been an oversight” not to declare this, but noted he is “happy to include it in the UCL register of interests”.
UCL’s South Wing where council members meet, via Google Maps
The criticism over Victor’s failure to disclose his links to Hong Kong comes amidst widespread concerns about Chinese influence over UK universities.
According to the Higher Education Statistics Agency, UCL enrols the highest number of Chinese students in the country. The number of undergrads and postgrads from China studying at UCL was 13,540 in the 2023/24 academic year. This is followed by 9,090 at the University of Manchester and 7,525 at the University of Leeds.
Chinese students’ fees are estimated to make up 40 per cent of overall tuition fee income at UCL. In total, they comprise a quarter of enrolled students and half of foreign students.
Since Mr Chu hired Michael Spence as Provost of UCL in 2020, the number of Chinese students at the university has more than doubled.
The two have been accused of courting Beijing to secure vital revenue streams to the university that China offers. The role of Provost is officially tasked with providing a “clear sense of mission and strategic direction which is sensitive to changes in the social, economic and political environment within which UCL operates”.
The Chinese embassy in London has criticised the claims as “groundless and absurd”, adding that China respects freedom of speech in the UK and elsewhere.
Professor Michelle Shipworth, a UCL academic who has been outspoken in her criticism of China, told The Telegraph: “I was deeply disturbed when I discovered that the head of UCL sits on the Hong Kong government’s Council of Advisers. This is a regime that criminalises dissent, even from overseas.
“UCL’s many Chinese and Hong Kong students are especially at risk. His role is impossible to square with UCL’s duty to protect them and uphold free speech.”
Michelle previously wrote to Parliament, accusing UCL of silencing her criticism of China via evidence of what she believed was “transnational repression at my UK university”. She has also been outspoken in opposing UCL’s support of transgender rights and student protests against Israel’s presence in Gaza.
A UCL spokesperson said: “Victor Chu is a respected international businessman and UCL alumnus, who has long served the university with distinction and remains committed to its core values, including our deep commitment to academic freedom.
UCL has not yet responded to a request for further comment.
The Chinese Embassy in the UK was contacted for comment.
Featured image via Google Maps/YouTube
