W. Ian Lipkin

W. Ian Lipkin: Columbia University, New York.

No figures published that i could find for how much Columbia makes from Chinese students per year but it was a growth industry. 15 000 foreign students, one third are Chinese. A full cost year’s enrolment goes for $76 856 a pop so 5000 times that... equals 384 odd million. Not as good as the Aussies but it’s still a lazy 4 billion over a decade.

Then, on Nov 23, 2019 the staging of a panel at Columbia University discussing the topic: “Panopticism with Chinese Characteristics: Human rights violations by the Chinese Communist Party and how they affect the world” was cancelled.
The University says it was due to scheduling procedural problems. Panellists, say pressure from the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) was the real reason. The panel was set to discuss China’s “extensive matrix of digital surveillance systems, optimised for maximum social control”.
The panel linked the decision to six “similar incidents of blatant vandalism, hate speech and physical assaults from pro-Beijing Chinese students” on other campuses.

W. Ian Lipkin actually visited China in January, 20192020 where, by his own admission, he has special access, claiming, "I have a different reputation, and I can go pretty much anyplace I want." Whilst there, he collected a medal "issued from the Central Government, Central Military Commission, and the State Council". The medal was to show appreciation for "working closely with scientists and officials in China" over twenty years.

In 2016, he was "honored with the China International Science and Technology Cooperation Award, presented in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, presided by President Xi Jinping."

Of all of our co-authors, Lipkin is arguably the biggest in terms of profile. Known as the Virus-hunter, he's definitely number one in terms of China guan-xi.

"At the height of the SARS outbreak in 2003, Lipkin was invited by senior Chinese scientists and officials to assess the state of the epidemic, identify gaps in science, and develop a strategy for containing the virus and curtailing infections and deaths. Once the outbreak was contained, Lipkin helped develop the institutional infrastructure to ensure China would have the resources to detect and more rapidly respond to emerging infectious threats, in part through building the Institut Pasteur in Shanghai, new national Centers for Disease Control in Beijing, and the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health. Today, he continues to consult with the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Chinese Academy of Science, and the Ministry of Health. He has also served as a consultant for a climate change program at Beijing Normal and as a visiting professor at Beijing University. Last year, the Chinese Academy of Sciences awarded funding for a collaborative project between CII and Sun Yat-Sen University in zoonotic diseases."

That's a handy resume. How many foreigners get that far in Chinese society?

Interestingly, in Feb or March it appears he contracted the virus but is now back at work.