Does the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich discriminate against Chinese students? This is what she is accused of as she tightens her admission rules due to suspicions of espionage.
05.11.2024, 15:0105.11.2024, 15:02
The ETH Zurich is under fire from accusations that it discriminates against Chinese students because of their origin. Reproaches conveyed for example on the Reddit platform or on posters put up last week in the high school buildings.
ETH Zurich is accused of discrimination.Image: www.imago-images.de
The slogans we read there compare her to the Nazis, according to Nau.ch. They claim that certain groups are “denied access to training, regardless of individual performance.”
Starting point of this affair: the admission rules published at the end of October. We learn that the ETHZ will in the future subject applications from the master’s degree to a security check to combat espionage.
These new measures are necessary because, according to the Federal Intelligence Service (SRC), universities constitute “a prime target for exploration by foreign intelligence services – therefore for espionage and proliferation”. The Chinese authorities would thus camouflage their staff as scientists and seek to take advantage of academic mobility.
The Chinese embassy in Berne says it is “shocked” by this novelty in the columns of Daily Gazette.
“We hope that the ETH Zurich will correct its bad practices as quickly as possible”
Twenty-three countries are affected by the tightening – but Chinese students represent by far the largest group. In 2023, 1362 of them studied and obtained their doctorate from the institution. Those who already work at the EPF, however, are exempt from these rules.
what are the criteria?
Nationality is only one of the criteria that can lead to the rejection of an application. Here are the others:
- Prior training at a university close to the army.
- Financing by a stock exchange from a state under sanctions, or by a stock exchange “of dubious origin”.
- A strategic research area.
This last point applies to almost all subjects taught in Zurich, “because most technologies can also be used for military purposes or are part of key technologies.” This means that Chinese applicants usually meet at least two of the criteria – so the risk of refusal is high.
What does the Haute Ecole say?
The ETHZ considers that these criticisms are misplaced, as it has always made known to the Daily Gazette:
“We do not exclude anyone on the basis of nationality”
Each application is examined individually – there are “neither strict criteria nor automatisms”.
The School also categorically rejects the comparison with the Nazis. Instead, its press office says that other universities in the country welcome its transparency about these new terms.
The news in Switzerland is here
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(French adaptation: Valentine Zenker)
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