Chinese universities scramble to open centers to study President Xi Jinping Thought
Xi Jinping
Women walk past a roadside poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 24.  Xi Jinping Thought  will now be taught  researched and promoted in universities across China. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)
A day after thousands of Communist Party delegates voted to have  President Xi Jinpingâs  thought included in the official party dogma  one of the countryâs elite universities immediately opened a research center dedicated to his ideology.
Within the next few days around 40 universities followed suit  scrambling to set up their own centers for âXi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era.â
Itâs the latest example of the narrowing space for independent thought in modern China  and the ever tighter ideological controls being imposed under  Xiâs  rule  foreign and domestic experts said. It is also at odds with Chinaâs ambitions to be a global power in academia as the space for constructive debate narrows.
The first to announce  a research center dedicated to Xi Jinping Thought  was Renmin University of China in Beijing  one of the nationâs most respected higher education institutions with links to more than 200 other universities around the globe.
It opened  the center  on Oct. 25  just one day after thousands of Communist Party delegates unanimously voted to absorb the cumbersome phrase into their constitution  alongside Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory.
âFrom the aspect of the development of our country  the establishment of  the research center  is of great historical significance â Liu Wei  president of the university and director of  the new center  told Chinese media. âIt is an important responsibility given to the school by our times â
The rise of Chinaâs Xi Jinping told in six front pages
Women walk past a roadside poster of Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 24.  Xi Jinping Thought  will now be taught  researched and promoted in universities across China. (Greg Baker/AFP/Getty Images)
A day after thousands of Communist Party delegates voted to have  President Xi Jinpingâs  thought included in the official party dogma  one of the countryâs elite universities immediately opened a research center dedicated to his ideology.
Within the next few days around 40 universities followed suit  scrambling to set up their own centers for âXi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics in a New Era.â
Itâs the latest example of the narrowing space for independent thought in modern China  and the ever tighter ideological controls being imposed under  Xiâs  rule  foreign and domestic experts said. It is also at odds with Chinaâs ambitions to be a global power in academia as the space for constructive debate narrows.
The first to announce   [TGT] was Renmin University of China in Beijing  one of the nationâs most respected higher education institutions with links to more than 200 other universities around the globe.
It opened   [TGT] on Oct. 25  just one day after thousands of Communist Party delegates unanimously voted to absorb the cumbersome phrase into their constitution  alongside Mao Zedong Thought and Deng Xiaoping Theory.
âFrom the aspect of the development of our country  the establishment of  the research center  is of great historical significance â Liu Wei  president of the university and director of  the new center  told Chinese media. âIt is an important responsibility given to the school by our times â
The rise of Chinaâs Xi Jinping told in six front pages