3 Top Chinese Universities Withdraw From International Rankings Shortly After Being Asked to ‘Follow the CCP’

Graduates pose for pictures during a graduation ceremony at Renmin University in Beijing on June 29, 2006. Chinese investor Zhang Lei has donated millions to Renmin University to establish an artificial intelligence research institute. China Photos/Getty Images

During an April 25 visit to one of China’s most prestigious universities, Renmin University in Beijing, Chinese leader Xi Jinping stressed that to build a world-class university with Chinese characteristics, “you cannot follow in others’ footsteps.” Shortly after, on May 6, Renmin University announced that it will no longer provide data to the relevant international institutions to participate in world university rankings.

Are Chinese Universities Withdrawing From International Rankings?

This was just the latest example of an ongoing trend: Chinese universities are increasingly withdrawing from international rankings. In recent years, both Peking University and Tsinghua University have ceased providing data for the Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE) and QS World University Rankings. The same goes for Fudan University, which has stopped providing data to both organizations since 2017.

Prior to that, China’s Nanjing University and Lanzhou University, also considered top-notch universities in China, also announced their withdrawal from the international university rankings system. Analysts believe that these are obvious signs of China’s further decoupling from the West under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Despite its reputation as a top humanities and social sciences university in China, Renmin University is far behind even its Chinese peers in international rankings. According to the UK-based Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) annual World University Rankings, Renmin University in 2022 is ranked 601 globally, Nanjing University ranked 131, and Lanzhou University ranked 751. All three institutions are dubbed as “Double First-Class Universities” by the CCP.

These rankings are proof that Renmin University is not a world-class university, even though the university has a long history of academic excellence. Its humble beginnings can be traced back to a school established in Beijing by American educator John Leighton Stuart in 1919 with support from the Rockefeller Foundation. It was renamed as Yenching University in 1922 and relocated to Peiping (later changed to Beijing) after its merger with Peiyang University in 1928.

The “Double First-Class University” plan, initiated by the CCP in 2015, aims to comprehensively develop elite Chinese universities—representing the top 5th percentile in mainland China—into world-class institutions by the end of 2050 through developing and strengthening their individual academic departments.

Chinese Universities Should Inherit the Red Genes

Xia, a former economics professor at Peking University, told Radio Free Asia that the announcements by the three universities bespeak Xi’s idea to further ​​decouple from the West.

According to Xia, Xi emphasized that Chinese universities should “inherit the red gene” and “follow the party” in his speech at Renmin University.

“That is to say, no matter how good the talents cultivated by a university are, if they do not serve the CCP and help the CCP achieve its goals, such talents are meaningless,” Xia said.

Graduating university students crowd a job fair in Nanjing of Jiangsu Province, China, on Nov. 20, 2008. China Photos/Getty Images

Frank Xie, ​​a professor at the University of South Carolina’s Aiken School of Business, told The Epoch Times’ sister media NTD that he sees the CCP’s plan as part of its bigger goal of “secluding China from the rest of the world.”

Xie believes that the withdrawal announcements are entirely at the behest of the CCP authorities because these institutions in China do not have such autonomy themselves. He predicts that many more universities in China will withdraw from the international rankings and, in the end, there may only be a few top Chinese universities left in the global ranking system.

Renmin University’s Relationship With the CCP

Current affairs commentator Qin Peng also told NTD that Renmin University is unique in that it was the first formal university founded by the CCP.

“It is a CCP party school dedicated for young people. Marxism-Leninism is one of the major courses taught at Renmin University,” Qin said.

Renmin University means “the people’s university.” Its origins date back to Shanbei Public School, which was established in 1937 by the CCP in order to “bring up hundreds of thousands of revolutionary comrades.”

After the CCP seized power, several institutions were merged to form the Renmin University of China in 1950.

The university was very influential in China’s early years. In fact, its graduates include former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and current leader Xi Jinping. Both graduated from Renmin University with degrees in mechanical engineering.