Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat
As a threat to US national security, the United States Department of Defense has designated Confucius Institutes, Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses.
As a threat to US national security, the United States Department of Defense has designated Confucius Institutes, Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses.
Article outline
- What happened
- The key numbers
- The bottom line
Key points
- Hegseth remarked Confucius Institutes had operated in disguise after being restricted by Congress, calling them "sleeper organisations".
- The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
- Washington has long accused the centres of serving as Chinese propaganda tools and has taken steps to crack down on them.
- In the video, Hegseth remarked that Chinese government-backed cultural programmes had infiltrated universities and reappeared in new guises despite congressional restrictions.
- Over the past two months, the Pentagon has "systematically dismantled every single one of these organisations", he remarked.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed the move on Friday in a video posted on social media, saying the Pentagon went on the organisations to its list of institutions that threaten national security.
"It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had popped up using different names and different charters, but with the same mission: to steal intellectual property and to infiltrate the minds of American students, " he remarked.
For context, the Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.
Taken together, the developments around pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.
