France worries about Chinese academic penetration and refuses to issue entry visas to researchers one after another_1
Recent reports suggest that the French government has steadfastly refused visas to scholars with strong ties to the Chinese government, a move aimed at restricting their access to critical laboratories and limiting their involvement in sensitive activities. This strategy reflects rising concerns among French intelligence agencies about China’s influence in academia and its propaganda methods.
According to *Intelligence Online*, a French media outlet focused on defense and intelligence, Hu Shisheng, the director of the South Asia Research Institute at the China Modern International Relations Institute, found himself denied a visa just before a seminar on Tibet in France. Hu was supposed to speak at a conference organized by the Paris Geopolitical Academy on September 20, which centered on “Tibet (Xizang) and China-India Relations.” The seminar stirred controversy by explicitly using the term “Xizang,” associated with the Chinese Communist Party.
While Hu was turned away, four other members of the delegation, including the Deputy Secretary General of the Chinese Tibetology Research Center, were granted visas.
French media reports emphasized that the China Modern International Relations Institute is one of China’s oldest and most influential research organizations, operating under the supervision of the Ministry of State Security and ensuring oversight from the Communist Party’s Central Committee. Hu’s affiliation with this institution was a significant factor in his visa denial.
Just a week before Hu’s incident, *Intelligence Online* reported another case of a Chinese scholar being denied a visa. This professor had accepted a position at the French National School of Advanced Engineering (ENSAM) in Paris. Intelligence agencies had prepared an unofficial document for government officials linking this scholar to military research in China, prompting the rejection of his visa application.
Initially, he was set to lecture at ENSAM and had received clearance to conduct research at a laboratory included in France’s scientific control list (ZRR), designed to protect critical research institutions from foreign interference.
The report also mentioned that this scholar had worked in Israel and sought a long-term visa through a “talent passport” at the French consulate in Jerusalem, only to face denial in early June. After appealing the decision in an administrative court, intelligence agency findings were presented, highlighting his close connection to another Chinese scholar involved in military research and to two universities known for similar work. The report cautioned that his area of expertise could pose risks to French national interests.
Much of the intelligence pointed to Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, recognized for its military research focus, where the applicant had studied. Additionally, the report indicated frequent collaborations with a researcher at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, a university that actively collaborates with the People’s Liberation Army.
The applicant’s attorney argued that he had previously obtained permission to access the ZRR laboratory through his employing institution.
During the hearing, a representative from the Ministry of the Interior expressed astonishment at the initial approval for access, labeling it “restricted” and insisting that any formal or informal collaborations with Chinese researchers should be closely monitored. Ultimately, the administrative court ruled at the end of August that the applicant did not adequately contest the legality of the visa denial, thus upholding the decision.
*Intelligence Online* noted that these consecutive denials signal heightened vigilance within French intelligence regarding potential threats from scholars connected to China’s military research institutions.
The report concludes by pointing out that the propaganda strategies employed by the Chinese Communist Party are becoming more nuanced and sophisticated, reflected in the increasing number of sensitive seminars and conferences held in France aimed at influencing academia and promoting the Chinese narrative.
