The Embassy of China in Belgium took note of the article titled “Academic Freedom under Pressure in Belgium: the Long Arm of Beijing” by some scholar of the ULB East Asian Research Center, published on Le Soir on October 3rd. The article falsely accused the Embassy of China and student associations of intervention in the research freedom of Belgium by obstructing China-related academic activities, and “intimidating and seducing” scholars. These baseless and sensational remarks are pure fabrication and conjectures. As the author is a scholar studying China, if the author had some interactions with the Chinese side, it would be normal. However, the author thought of this as insidious “seduction and intimidation” by the Chinese side. Is this the normal way of thinking?

For scholars, only by maintaining objectivity and fairness can they reach the right conclusions that withstand the test of history. Scholars that truly know China are well aware that what China has become today is the result of its historical traditions and the choice of the Chinese people. Viewing China with tinted glasses and indiscriminately besmirching China are not conducting academic studies.

The world is big enough for all kinds of ideas. It is normal to have different opinions. However, for some time, there have been some people with ill intentions who take stigmatizing China as “political correctness”, and jump on what they see as the bandwagon of groundlessly criticizing China. Their lies have been laid bare in the face of the truth time and again, and they can only keep their fake narratives going on by telling new lies.

As China is an important member of the international community, people are interested in knowing more about the country. For doing so, one needs to stay objective and fair-minded, and understand and respect the choice of the Chinese people. This is an important precondition. The world will be a better place when China is genuinely understood.