China orders schools to drop books of 'Western veneration'

Beijing has ordered primary and secondary schools to drop books in their libraries that may lead to the veneration of the Western countries at the cost of promoting Chinese patriotism, Nikkei Asia reports.

According to the Japanese daily, the school in China are expected to focus on the Chinese president's ideology, officially called "Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era."

The move by China's Ministry of Education which took effect around April 1, will impact the nation's 240 million school students.

This latest move is aimed to foster loyalty and devotion to the Chinese president ahead of the July 1 centennial of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

As per the Nikkei Asia report, books viewed as going against the party's agenda and policies are targeted. Leading up to the centennial, several titles could be banned, especially with political, and economic ideas from the West.

Till date, schools in China have recommended books about the likes of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. However, now such titles could be pulled as books promoting certain Western ideas or tending to "obsequiously embrace all things foreign" are prohibited.

Last year, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region unveiled a plan to replace Mongolian-language textbooks with books written in Chinese. That decision was not taken well and sparked boycotts of classes. However, the Chinese authorities "only doubled down" on it.

"The Communist Party is holding more study sessions aimed at adult party members. Providing instruction on its history, they are held once or twice a week in government organs and state-owned enterprises by party apparatchiks," the report said.

( With inputs from ANI )

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