NEW YORK—An international dance competition scheduled to be held at New York University early next month will take place as planned despite an attempt to sabotage it by the university's Chinese Culture Club, says the competition's organizer, the New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV).
According to NTDTV spokesperson Carrie Hung, New York University has said that the opinions of the New York University Chinese Culture Club (NYUCCC) do not represent the position of the university.
On June 8, NYUCCC posted an online statement attacking NTDTV's Chinese Classical Dance Competition that is going to take place at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at New York University July 7–8. The statement slanders Falun Gong, as Falun Gong adherents are involved with the TV station, and asks for support through an online petition in an attempt to "prohibit" the dance competition from taking place.
CCP Control
The NYUCCC online statement quotes the dance competition's Web site as saying that "all songs and music that eulogize the Communist Party will be prohibited" and characterizes this statement as "an open defiance."
This "defiance" of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is said by the NYUCCC to shed "a very bad light on all Chinese students in NYU, and the whole Chinese students [sic] community in United States."
Former Chinese diplomat Chen Yonglin says that the NYUCCC, like many overseas Chinese students associations, is funded and controlled by the Chinese Consulate.
"The NYUCCC is in fact an organization founded and supported by the education office of the Chinese Consulate in New York. The main responsibility of the education office is to control and manage overseas Chinese students, so as to coordinate them in the effort to combat all organizations and individuals not in favor of the CCP; it is in reality an overseas extension of the CCP," he said.
"The NYUCCC's public letter is about the same as a document issued by the Ministry of Propaganda of the CCP," says Chen, who defected from his position as First Consul at the Chinese Consulate in Sydney two years ago and has spoken out previously about the Chinese regime's spy networks.
The CCP usually manipulates the Chinese student organizations in several ways, according to Chen, including providing funding for club activities, writing reference letters, providing scholarships to Chinese students who dutifully toe the party line, and co-opting Chinese students by giving them gifts, such as tickets to entertainment events. Failure to comply can result in threats to a Chinese student's career opportunities.
Six Chinese students interviewed on the campus of NYU who say they are familiar with NYUCCC agree with Chen—NYUCCC is controlled by the Chinese Consulate.
Yang Lixin, who was a three-term vice-president of the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) in Belgium, also echoed Chen's comments.
"In fact many activities of the CSSAs are joint efforts of the associations and the Chinese consulates, which carry out part of their political mission by mobilizing the CSSAs. Of course the consulates, especially the education division, will provide funding."
An NTDTV news report says that the websites of CSSAs in various countries also show signs of the Chinese regime's control. It points out that the CSSA in Wuerzburg, Germany, for example, has written in its constitution: "In the event that the CSSA is closed, the [Chinese] Embassy must be informed, and the money left must be returned to the embassy."
Not Speaking
The NYUCCC says in its online statement that the club published the statement because "we must make our voice heard."
The statement was first published on June 8. On June 13, the club removed from its Web site the contact information for its officers.
The Epoch Times attempted to interview two NYUCCC staff members: Xiao Ke, the club's president, and Li Yi, who, according to the NYUCCC website, is currently one of the club's vice-presidents and the Web site's webmaster.
When asked about the club's slander of Falun Gong and the dance competition, Li replied, "I am sorry I am not in charge of this," saying that he was no longer a vice president of the club.
In calls to Xiao on the mobile phone number originally listed for him on the club's Web site, the person who answered the phone declined to identify himself and then turned the phone off. An NYU student who prefers to remain anonymous confirmed that the number was indeed Xiao's. In calls to the club's offices, the reporter was told there was no one there by that name.
The Epoch Times has learned that the FBI is looking into the NYUCCC.
Why?
According to NTDTV, the International Chinese Classical Dance Competition is meant to promote authentic Chinese culture.
Commenting on why the NYUCCC would take such a high-profile approach to attack NTDTV's cultural activity, Chen said, "It is because NTDTV is an independent TV station, which keeps reporting on the stories and grievances of China's grassroots. This is a big, influential media that the Chinese regime is very afraid of. So [the regime] will try its best to attack NTDTV; it launches the attack through the overseas Chinese students and hides itself behind the scene."
Yang from Belgium responded to the action of NYUCCC by saying, "Many Chinese students studying overseas think that maintaining a good relationship with the Chinese Consulates is a way to show their patriotism; they love their country, but have erroneously equated the Chinese communist regime with China."
Yang cautions overseas Chinese students against being used by Chinese consulates as a political instrument.
NTDTV spokesperson Hung says that the Chinese students at NYU are most welcome to watch the dance competition and to make a judgment on their own about the cultural event.
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