Chinese city Guangzhou cancels TEDx talks over fears of 'foreign infiltration'

China has cancelled planned TED Talks that were set to take place in the city of Guangzhou. As per reports, this was done over concerns that they were associated with a foreign non-governmental organisation. 

The talks which were planned for August 13 would have been the first since the start of the Covid pandemic that came with large-scale restrictions in China.

TEDxGuangzhou

The schedule of the TEDxGuangzhou 2023 conference, as per the South China Morning Post (SCMP), included a dozen talks by artists, researchers, campus anti-bullying advocates and entrepreneurs. 

As per the report, the event brochure also advertised small-scale discussions and workshops.

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On Monday, in a post on WeChat — China's alternative to WhatsApp — the organisers said that the Guangzhou police's office for the management of foreign non-governmental organisations has told them to "establish a domestic representative office" or apply for a temporary permit to comply with the law.  

However, the local police are yet to issue a statement.

What the organisation said

TEDxGuangzhou has reportedly rejected the police's characterisation of associations with a foreign non-governmental organisation and said that they "are a group of local volunteers who occasionally come together to plan some activities."

"We are not an 'organisation', and there is no employment or remuneration relationship between us or with TED. Therefore, we do not fall under the jurisdiction of this law, which pertains to foreign NGOs registered overseas that wish to conduct business in China."

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In spite of this, fearing legal consequences, the organisers said that they were looking at the possibility of obtaining a temporary permit.

However, they warned that it was difficult to obtain the permit at such short notice because it requires a written agreement between TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) a North American non-profit media organisation, and its Chinese partners.

China worries about "foreign influence"

SCMP reports that the intervention comes as China sharpens its legal tools to fight "foreign infiltration."

In April 2021, China adopted an anti-espionage regulation that seeks to prevent "foreign infiltration" in key fields and, as per a PTI report, under it, the country's national security authority was to draw up lists of companies and organisations that it deemed susceptible to infiltration.

(With inputs from agencies)

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