UCL Chairman Victor Chu sits on a “high-level advisory board” to John Lee, the chief executive of Hong Kong, who has been accused of repressing pro-democracy campaigners, according to The Telegraph.
Chu has served on the Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers (CECA) board since 2023 but failed to declare his involvement.
Chu has been Chair of the UCL Council since 2019 but did not follow the requirement that all UCL Council members declare any conflict of interest.
UCL’s official guidance states that “potential conflicts can arise when you… are involved in business positions or appointments.”
CECA advises Hong Kong’s chief executive on strategic developments, “taking into account Hong Kong’s advantages and strengths.”
However, Chief Executive John Lee has been closely associated with Beijing and continued to clamp down on anti-government protests, which has led some in the UCL community to raise concerns.
UCL Academic Michelle Shipworth, who previously accused the university of silencing her over criticism of China, told The Telegraph, “I was deeply disturbed when I discovered that the head of UCL sits on the Hong Kong government’s Council of Advisers.
“This is a regime that criminalises dissent, even from overseas. UCL’s many Chinese and Hong Kong students are especially at risk. His role is impossible to square with UCL’s duty to protect them and uphold free speech.”
This follows a significant rise in the number of Chinese students at the University as over 13,000 UCL students were from mainland China in 2023/24. This is an increase of 10,000 since 2015/16, according to a Freedom of Information request.
Chinese students are also a significant contributor to the University’s finances, with international students generating 76% of UCL’s tuition fee revenue in 2021/22.
Lee has overseen significant crackdowns on anti-democracy protestors, notably the protests over the infamous extradition bill, where he sanctioned police use of water cannons, rubber bullets, tear gas, and occasionally live ammunition to disperse activists.
Lee was confirmed as Hong Kong’s leader in 2022 in an uncontested election after Beijing backed his candidacy. He was elected by a selection committee mostly composed of “pro-Beijing politicians and businesspeople.”
Shipworth was banned from running a course that discussed modern slavery in China last year, sparking concerns over freedom of speech at UCL.
UCL had suspended the course, in order to “protect commercial interests” which led to Shipworth accusing the University of “conceding to the censorship demands of some Chinese students”.
There is no evidence that Chu is connected to the Chinese Communist Party.
Victor Chu said: “As a senior business leader and investor, I hold a significant number of voluntary and honorary positions supporting many organisations across the globe. My appointment on the Hong Kong Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers is, and always has been, a matter of public record. The role is not remunerated and I have only attended one inaugural meeting in 2023. Now that this has been brought to my attention, I am happy to include it in the UCL register of interests and acknowledge that it may have been an oversight not to include it.”
A UCL spokesperson said: “Victor Chu is a respected international businessman and UCL alumnus, who has long served the university with distinction and remains committed to its core values, including our deep commitment to academic freedom.
“He holds an unpaid honorary role on the Hong Kong Chief Executive’s Council of Advisers, which involves no active duties or regular meetings. While this role has always been publicly known, Mr Chu has acknowledged there may have been an oversight in not including it under UCL’s register of interests, and he will update the register accordingly.”
