Recent reports reveal that the French government is tightening its grip on visa approvals for scholars with strong connections to the Chinese government. This initiative aims to block access to key laboratories and sensitive activities, reflecting growing concerns within French intelligence regarding potential academic interference and propaganda from China.
On September 30, “Intelligence Online” reported the last-minute visa denial of Hu Shisheng, head of the South Asia Research Institute at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations. His rejection prevented him from participating in a recent conference on Tibet in France, where he was slated to speak at a seminar titled “Xizang and Sino-Indian Relations” on September 20. The use of the term “Xizang,” which is favored by the Chinese Communist Party, heightened the academic controversy surrounding the event. Interestingly, while Hu was denied entry, four other members of his delegation, including Zhalo, the deputy secretary-general of the China Tibetology Research Center, were granted visas.
French media reports underscore that the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations is among the most influential international studies organizations in China, operating directly under the Ministry of State Security and supervised by the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Hu’s affiliation with this institute was cited as a significant factor in his visa denial.
Just the week before, on September 23, “Intelligence Online” highlighted another case involving a Chinese scholar whose visa was also rejected—this professor had an employment offer from the French National School of Advanced Engineering (ENSAM) in Paris. An informal briefing by French intelligence suggested the scholar’s connections with military research in China prompted the visa refusal.
The scholar was invited to lecture at ENSAM and conduct research in a laboratory classified under France’s strategic science designation, known as ZRR, which restricts access to research entities with critical scientific and technological capabilities. Despite applying for a long-term visa through the French consulate in Jerusalem in early June, his application was denied.
Following this, he appealed the visa decision in an administrative court with a hearing scheduled for August. During the proceedings, intelligence officials highlighted his links to a Chinese professor engaged in military research and associations with two universities collaborating with the People’s Liberation Army. The report warned that his expertise presented risks to French national interests from both civilian and military perspectives.
Notably, the report singled out Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi’an, recognized for its military research focus, where the applicant had studied. In addition, it mentioned his co-publications with a researcher from Huazhong University of Science and Technology, another institution known for its military ties.
The applicant’s attorney contended that he had permission to enter the ZRR laboratory, obtained back in February through his hiring institution. However, during the hearing, a representative from the Ministry of the Interior expressed astonishment at this grant, asserting that such permissions should be tightly controlled and that any ties to Chinese researchers warrant close scrutiny. Ultimately, the court upheld the visa denial, concluding that the applicant did not adequately challenge the refusal’s legitimacy.
“Intelligence Online” remarks that these repeated visa rejections for Chinese researchers signal an increasing vigilance from French intelligence agencies toward China. There is a targeted effort to keep scholars linked to military research institutions—and by extension, Chinese intelligence—away from France.
The report concludes by noting that the propaganda efforts of the Chinese Communist Party are evolving to become more sophisticated and subtle, designed to sway academia through a rising number of sensitive conferences and seminars held in France while advancing Chinese narratives.
