Beijing: China's education minister has demanded strict adherence to communist ideological purity in higher education, saying Western values must never be permitted to infiltrate the classroom.

The official Xinhua News Agency said Yuan Guiren reiterated the ruling Communist Party's control over education and said educators must ensure that teaching materials do not criticize the party's leadership or the socialist system.

Xinhua quoted Yuan as saying professors must not complain, vent personal grievances or convey negative emotions to their students.

Yuan's remarks at a conference Thursday come amid growing demands for political orthodoxy under party leader Xi Jinping. An internal party document leaked in 2013 warned against Western values such as constitutionalism, respect for civil society and press freedom, and state media outlets have lashed out at professors who take critical stances.