BACS Position on the National Security Law’s Implications for UK Higher Education Teaching and Research on China
The British university system operates on the principles of the production of knowledge through free and open discussion of any topic and reasoned debate based on evidence. We believe the new Hong Kong NSL violates these principles. As members of a university — teaching staff, students, administrators, and management – our responsibility is to uphold and promote these principles, and we reject any attempts to restrict freedom of speech or limit the unfettered pursuit of knowledge. In September 2020 BACS Council commissioned an independent evidence-based report to review the implications of NSL and associated issues for teaching and research about China in the UK Higher Education Sector and will review the findings and their implications once the report is completed.
BACS Council 23rd February 2021