2 ms·

Why would we give a title that's pure spin?

seanmcdirmid 9y ago
The current title implies that China wants control of universities foreign to (outside of) China, not foreign universities operating inside China. That China has foreign universities operating inside it at all is a concept foreign to most of us. Heck, it’s probably news to most people inside china as they are relatively new things. I’m not sure what you expect from NYU Shanghai, of course the government is going to meddle and make students take political indoctrination classes. That’s just how China is. I’m more surprised anyone would expect otherwise.
- madhadron 9y ago
  If that wasn't the deal they promised the universities, then the universities have every right to act surprised.
  - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
    The Chinese government breaks their promises all the time as convenient, they’ll only pretend to open up a bit and then promptly close things back up once they got what they wanted. That should have been, and most probably was, expected also.
- gruez 9y ago
  even if they were genuinely surprised, there's nothing stopping them from pulling out, is there? sure, the government can seize the campus or whatever, but the real value to them is the branding + profs, both of which can be unilaterally revoked.
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
    1. Sunk costs. 2. They don’t really care and already expected this. I believe these are also JVs with lots of Chinese capital involved.
    - jiggunjer 9y ago
      What costs? I bet the government paid for the campuses. It has an incentive to keep citizens inside their borders. Universities already charge top-dollar for admission of overseas students, so they might not make much more trading a price drop for a volume rise.
      - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
        They definitely have some exposure, NYU shanghai for example is a huge effort from both shanghai municipal sources and NYU proper. The government does provide subsidies in the form of land, but the venture typically books land appreciation right away which they are loathe to lose (the same thing happened with Microsoft’s Beijing campus). So perhaps it is more accurate to say they have something to lose even if their initial investment wasn’t that large.
jacquesm 9y ago
Consistency.

The current title implies that China wants control of universities foreign to (outside of) China, not foreign universities operating inside China. That China has foreign universities operating inside it at all is a concept foreign to most of us. Heck, it’s probably news to most people inside china as they are relatively new things. I’m not sure what you expect from NYU Shanghai, of course the government is going to meddle and make students take political indoctrination classes. That’s just how China is. I’m more surprised anyone would expect otherwise.

madhadron 9y ago
If that wasn't the deal they promised the universities, then the universities have every right to act surprised.
- seanmcdirmid 9y ago
  The Chinese government breaks their promises all the time as convenient, they’ll only pretend to open up a bit and then promptly close things back up once they got what they wanted. That should have been, and most probably was, expected also.
gruez 9y ago
even if they were genuinely surprised, there's nothing stopping them from pulling out, is there? sure, the government can seize the campus or whatever, but the real value to them is the branding + profs, both of which can be unilaterally revoked.
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- seanmcdirmid 9y ago
  1. Sunk costs. 2. They don’t really care and already expected this. I believe these are also JVs with lots of Chinese capital involved.
  - jiggunjer 9y ago
    What costs? I bet the government paid for the campuses. It has an incentive to keep citizens inside their borders. Universities already charge top-dollar for admission of overseas students, so they might not make much more trading a price drop for a volume rise.
    - seanmcdirmid 9y ago
      They definitely have some exposure, NYU shanghai for example is a huge effort from both shanghai municipal sources and NYU proper. The government does provide subsidies in the form of land, but the venture typically books land appreciation right away which they are loathe to lose (the same thing happened with Microsoft’s Beijing campus). So perhaps it is more accurate to say they have something to lose even if their initial investment wasn’t that large.

jacquesm 9y ago

Consistency.