主题：中国反击加拿大 -- 熊熊熊熊

China snubs U of C over Dalai Lama

CALGARY - The Chinese government has removed the University of Calgary from its list of accredited institutions -- a move school officials fear is linked to the Dalai Lama's visit last fall.

The university hosted the Tibetan spiritual leader and awarded him an honorary degree when he visited the city last September.

In December, university offi-cials learned that China's education ministry had removed the school from its website.

Now the university is trying to determine what impact that decision will have on Chinese nationals who have obtained a degree or are working toward one from the institution.

"Our biggest concern is we don't want to disadvantage current or prospective students or our alumni," university spokeswoman Colleen Turner said Wednesday.

The university has about 600 students from mainland China and Hong Kong.

The Chinese government has made no official communication to the university explaining its actions.

The university learned of the move late last year when an employee in the international student centre and a handful of students raised the issue. Turner said the group did not indicate how they learned of the Chinese government's decision.

Danna Hou, a spokeswoman with the Chinese consulate in Calgary, said the move was not a sudden decision and was related to something last year.

"They know the reason and they know the result before it happened," she said.

Hou would not say why the Chinese government removed the university's name, saying only that the U of C "should know."

The Herald has learned officials from the Chinese consulate in Calgary outlined concerns about the Dalai Lama's visit at a meeting with university representatives in April. Their chief concern was that the Dalai Lama not visit the university campus or be awarded an honorary degree.

The spiritual leader did not attend the campus, but was granted an honorary doctor of laws degree at the start of the two-day conference Sept. 30.

The Dalai Lama has received more than 25 honorary degrees from institutions around the world, including the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Toronto.

"We knew at the time the decision to bring in the Dalai Lama would not be without controversy," said the U of C's Turner. "All of that said, the decision to bring in the Dalai Lama was not intended to dishonour or dis-value our relationship with our Chinese partners or the Chinese community. Any time one of our partners is offended, that's an issue for us."

Since being made aware of the action, the university has been reaching out to officials and partner institutions in China, as well as members of the Chinese community in Calgary, to work through any issues that would have them believe the university is not accredited.

The message to students, Turner said, is that the U of C stands behind the degrees it offers.

Advanced Education Minister Doug Horner said he was "disappointed" to learn the university had been "delisted" by the Chinese, but he's hopeful the situation can be resolved. His ministry has a potential trade mission planned for China in the spring.

"The decision to confer the degree was the university's, as we don't get involved in those decisions," said Horner. "But we are willing to help in whatever way we can. If an opportunity arises in the spring, we'll sit down with the Chinese and see what we can do."

Horner said he wasn't told explicitly of the concerns ahead of the degree being granted.

"But everybody thought in their head that this would be something the Chinese would not appreciate."

grichards@theherald. canwest.com