Harvard Faces Criticism Over Training Sanctioned Chinese Officials

Uyghur human rights advocates criticize Harvard University for training Chinese paramilitary officials linked to human rights abuses in Xinjiang. The U.S. government has sanctioned the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for its role in mass detention and forced labor against Uyghurs. Critics argue the collaboration risks legitimizing an oppressive system.

Uyghur human rights advocates have criticized Harvard University for providing training to officials from a Chinese paramilitary organization sanctioned by the U.S. government. The Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), implicated in mass detention and forced labor practices in the Xinjiang region, participated in executive training at Harvard's TH Chan School of Public Health in 2023 and 2024, as reported by Radio Free Asia (RFA).

This program, run with China's National Healthcare Security Administration, focused on health insurance governance and public health policy. The Washington Free Beacon highlighted findings from the think tank Strategy Risks, which noted that the XPCC was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act in July 2020 for its key role in surveillance and oppression of Uyghurs. These sanctions prohibit most forms of U.S. collaboration with the XPCC.

Sabrina Sohail of Campaign for Uyghurs stated that the XPCC is a paramilitary arm of the Chinese Communist Party. She warned that Harvard's training program risks legitimizing an entity involved in genocide. The XPCC, referred to as 'Bingtuan,' operates as a quasi-military and economic entity in Xinjiang, accused of managing detention centers and forced labor initiatives critical to China's oppression of Uyghurs.

(With inputs from agencies.)