美國新冠疫情日記 10/12

           The Tragedy Of A Chinese Scholar

Webster University in Missouri released a statement on the death of Liu Qiang who worked as a representative at the Confucius Institute’s Beijing Language University. 

According to the report, Liu served as an ex officio member of the Confucius Institute’s board. Liu died after a police search of his home.

The police and FBI searched Liu’s apartment last week amid a child pornography investigation. The police report did not include the cause of Liu’s death. The university said they have no evidence or reason to believe that Mr. Liu’s death relates in any way to the Confucius Institute at Webster University. 

Beijing University is sending a special work team to the U.S. to investigate while urging police to release Liu’s death report. 

The Confucius Institute was established around the world to enhance culture and language between China and other countries. In early September, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that he was hopeful that dozens of Confucius Institute locations on U.S. campuses would be shut by the year end. Pompeo had labeled the Institute as a foreign mission. 

We hope the police and FBI will come out with the report for Liu’s family. This is very sad at the time when the relationship between the U.S. and China is deteriorating, including the recent suspension of culture exchanges.

        孔子學院中國學者去世

位於米蘇里州的私立韋斯特大學孔子學院中國籍院長劉強先生不幸於週二去世， 在警方的一份報告中說，當地警察及聯邦調查局曾經到他家去搜索有關他涉嫌兒童色情案後之第二天發現他巳身亡。

韋斯特大學在一項聲明中表示，对劉院長之身亡表示哀悼，他們將配合警方之調查， 找出死亡原因 ，但他們相信劉院長之死亡和校方應無關聯。

北京語言大學也已派遣專人前往協助調查，為劉院長之真正死因找出答案。

我們非常遺憾中美關係近年來不断惡化，國务卿蓬佩奧已經明確表示將在年底前關閉在美國大學校園中的孔子學院， 這將是中美兩國在文化教育的最大打擊。