China leader: More party control over colleges

President Xi Jinping. AP FILE PHOTO

BEIJING — China’s president has called for the Communist Party to enhance its leadership over the country’s universities in a continuing tightening of ideological controls across a wide range of society.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported that Xi Jinping said higher learning institutions should publicize the Marxist thought that provided a theoretical foundation for the party and enhance ideological guidance.

Xi issued the instruction during a two-day meeting that ended Monday on party-building in higher learning institutions.

Political indoctrination is part of the curriculum for Chinese students, and Chinese professors have long endured monitoring.

But under Xi, reporters for a party-run newspaper covertly sat in on college classes and reported on the lectures. Reporters have also undergone training in Marxism to emphasize the ruling party’s control.

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