The U.S. State Department has drafted a letter urging colleges to review their relationships with Chinese-backed Confucius Institutes and to “move quickly” to guard against the Chinese regime’s theft of U.S. research.
The call was made days after the department designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS) a Chinese diplomatic mission, a move that restricts its operations in the United States. CIUS is a Washington-based organization that promotes and supports Confucius Institutes and Classrooms in universities and schools across the country. The programs, funded by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), have attracted growing scrutiny over concerns that they spread Chinese propaganda and restrict freedom of expression in U.S. classrooms.
