Manila, July 31 -- The Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday decried Chinese commentaries questioning the country's right to conduct a security oversight of foreign-linked cultural and academic exchange programs.

"The DND calls out the hypocrisy of state-controlled entities - such as Jinan University and similar Beijing-run institutions - invoking concepts like 'academic fairness' and 'academic freedom.' Genuine academic freedom cannot exist within state-owned propaganda channels where free speech is suppressed, dissenting views from the party line are immediately criminalized, and history itself is heavily censored - most notably the violent suppression of students at Tiananmen Square," it said in a news release.

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