A new report by the US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs portrays Chinese learning centers at over 100 US universities as elements in China’s global propaganda apparatus. The report states that the learning centers, all of which belong to the Confucius Institute, intend to “change the impression in the United States and around the world that China is an economic and security threat.”
The committee believes the centers undermine academic freedom as they operate according to instructions from Beijing: “The Chinese government approves all teachers, events, and speakers. Some U.S. schools contractually agree that both Chinese and U.S. laws will apply … As one U.S. school administrator explained to the Subcommittee, when something is ‘funded by the Chinese government, you know what you’re getting.’”
The conclusion of the committee is that the centers should be subject to strict controls and if this does not lead to significant changes, they should be closed altogether.
Read more: A Senate Report Has Slammed the Chinese Learning Centers Operating at Over 100 U.S. Universities
