Scandal: China pressured an Argentinian university with threats and managed to censor the presentation of a book

A direct attack on academic freedom The episode represents a direct blow to

the basic principles of any democratic society: Freedom of expression

• debate

ideas From

An episode of extreme institutional gravity shook the Argentine academic environment: the Chinese regime's embassy intervened directly to force the cancellation of a university event critical to its political system.

The activity was to take place at the University of Belgrano, but it was suspended after a series of diplomatic pressures that included explicit threats and the physical presence of Chinese officials at the headquarters.

Threats, direct pressure and censorship

Far from a usual diplomatic demand, the Chinese embassy deployed a direct offensive:

• Calls to deans and university authorities

• Warnings of breaking institutional ties Political pressure on the university Presence of

• diplomats demanding cancellation The

• result

  was overwhelming: the event

This was an academic panel on the book that analyzes how Beijing uses its communication apparatus to wash its global image while hiding its

Export of Chinese authoritarianism

What happened is not an isolated event. Experts warn that the Chinese regime is exporting its censorship practices outside its borders

The objective is clear: to prevent any critical discourse.

“China does not seek to debate ideas, it seeks to control what can be said,” explained the author of the book, Roberto Iglesias.

This type of maneuver reflects a logic typical of authoritarian regimes:

• Control of public discourse

• Intimidation of institutions Elimination of