China questions warning to Duke students to use English
Posted January 29, 2019 2:04 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
BEIJING — A Chinese government spokesman has questioned the appropriateness of an email sent by a Duke University medical school administrator warning Chinese students to speak in English.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Tuesday it would be abnormal if a Chinese university banned students from speaking English.
Duke has moved quickly to offer apologies, launch an investigation and reassure a core group of graduate scholars after the email raised an outcry on and off campus.
Thousands of people in China commented on social media. Some called it racial discrimination and said Chinese universities should ban speaking English.
The administrator’s message came at a time when elite U.S. universities are trying to remain attractive to top international students despite negative rhetoric toward foreigners by President Donald Trump and other politicians.
The Associated Press
