College Affiliated With University of Waterloo Confirms Closure of Beijing’s Confucius Institute

Closure is part of a growing trend from institutions in North America and other parts of the world cutting ties with the Beijing-led program

China's then-Vice President Xi Jinping (now Chinese leader) unveils a plaque at the opening of Australia's first Chinese Medicine Confucius Institute at the RMIT University in Melbourne on June 20, 2010. William West/AFP/Getty Images

A college affiliated with the University of Waterloo confirms its contract with China’s Confucius Institute (CI) ended last year—joining the ranks of other institutions in North America and around the world that are cutting ties with the Beijing-led program.

A spokesperson for Renison University College said in an emailed statement on Nov. 18 that there has been no activity between his institution and CI “since before the beginning of the pandemic.”