TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, penned a letter to Harvard University on Monday (July 1) raising questions about the harassment of two Taiwanese and two Tibetan students protesting against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

While Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng (謝峰) gave a speech during the opening ceremony of the Harvard Kennedy School China Conference 2024 on April 20, Cosette Wu, an undergraduate student at the university, protested Beijing's human rights abuses by holding a sign and shouting slogans. Before Wu could finish her protest, a man in a suit grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the venue, and a security guard later came to assist the man.  

In his letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, Moolenaar wrote that the man who forced Wu out of the room was later identified as a Harvard student from China. Moolenaar pointed out that the video showing Wu being dragged from the room soon went viral and caused an “uproar in the Chinese community in the United States.”

In addition, Moolenaar said that a female Tibetan student identified as Tsering Yangchen, who stood up with a sign that read “People Die" was led away by a security guard. After being removed from the event, Yangchen said that she had been asked by a student from China for the names of the protesters and claimed that the person followed her, “causing her to feel scared.” 

Moolenaar said this raises questions about potential transnational repression by Beijing and acts of harassment and intimidation by Chinese students at Harvard “condoned by the Chinese government against critics.” Moolenaar observed that a Boston court had convicted a former Berklee College of Music student from China for “threatening and harassing” another Chinese student for placing pro-democracy fliers on campus.

Such incidents have caused Moolenaar to question whether universities are taking adequate measures to educate Chinese students about civil liberty and "ensure students' safety for freedom of expression.” 

He said that as the number of Chinese students in the U.S. has “skyrocketed” since 2009, Beijing's efforts to “monitor, control, and manipulate Chinese students in the U.S. has increased dramatically." Moolenaar said Beijing often utilizes student groups such as Chinese Students and Scholars Associations to “infiltrate American campuses and harass those who may speak out against CCP abuses.”

To better protect students' rights Moolenaar posed over a dozen questions in response to the incident. Examples included the involvement of Harvard and the Chinese in security for the event, whether faculty had liaised with the Chinese government on security, and any written agreements Harvard had with those managing security. 

He asked whether the forced removal constituted assault, Harvard's policy for reporting criminal acts, and if such acts were reported in this case. He inquired whether Harvard Kennedy School’s Greater China Society coordinates its event with the Chinese government or diplomatic missions. 

Lastly, he asked what actions Harvard is taking to educate international students about their “obligations and rights for civil liberty.”