The move by the Trump administration to revoke Harvard University’s ability to enrol foreign students ~ citing anti-Semitism and alleged coordination with the Chinese Communist Party ~ marks a troubling escalation in the politicisation of higher education. While national security and foreign influence concerns deserve scrutiny, sweeping punitive actions against a single institution risk doing more harm than good. Harvard’s decades-long ties to China have indeed been complex.

From academic collaborations and research centres to significant philanthropic donations, the university has cultivated deep, and at times opaque, relationships with Chinese institutions and individuals. Allegations that Harvard provided training to officials from the sanctioned Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp raise serious ethical and legal questions. So does the case of a former professor convicted for hiding ties to Chinese programmes. But targeting an entire institution ~ especially one that enrols thousands of students from across the globe ~ is not a........

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