U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the Republican leader of the House of Representatives, holds a press conference in Congress on Sept. 24, 2020.
U.S. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and four other Republicans sent a letter to President Biden on Feb. 17 urging him to adopt the Trump administration’s policy of tightening restrictions on Confucius Institutes.
Voice of America reports that the Trump policy requires U.S. colleges, universities, schools and kindergartens to disclose any agreements, partnerships or financial transactions with Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms. The rules also apply to other cultural institutions affiliated with the Chinese (Communist) government, such as the China Students and Scholars Association.
Although the Trump Administration attempted to introduce the rule, it was not finalized at the Time of the transition and was not submitted to the Federal Register for public notice.
The White House said that, similar to previous administrations, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain issued a memo freezing all regulatory proceedings on Presidential Inauguration Day, meaning that regulations that had not completed consideration would be automatically withdrawn and resubmitted.
Earlier reports that the rule was quietly withdrawn by the Biden Administration sparked discontent among many Republicans who felt the Biden administration was soft on China (the Chinese Communist Party).
In a letter to Biden, four congressional Republicans said they understand that the Trump administration’s proposed rule was not finalized and could be withdrawn by the new administration during a broad assessment of the administration’s policies, but that the integrity of the U.S. academic system should be a priority agenda and urged Biden to resubmit the rule “as soon as possible” and “without delay. “without delay.”
They also quoted Biden as having said last week, “If we don’t act, they’ll eat our lunch.”
“Among the various threats we face stemming from the Chinese Communist Party, the (CCP’s) misuse of the U.S. academic system to steal sensitive research and technology, restrict free speech, and propagandize against our students is particularly troubling.” The letter reads.
The letter said the Confucius Institute ostensibly promotes cultural and language programs between the two countries, but in reality can jeopardize academic freedom on U.S. campuses by requiring that the agreement arrangement be subject to laws enacted by the Chinese Communist Party, censoring information on its behalf and creating a conflict of interest for the institute’s administrators.
The lawmakers expressed their willingness to work with the Biden administration to develop a bipartisan and government-wide solution to the threat posed by the CCP to U.S. educational and academic integrity.
In addition to McCarthy, the co-sponsors are Michael McCaul (R-Texas), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, John Katko (R-N.Y.), a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee, and Virginia Foxx (N.C.), a senior member of the Education and Labor Committee.
Confucius Institutes face global boycott
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which during the Cultural Revolution shouted the slogan “Break the Four Olds” and worked to destroy Confucius’ Confucian rituals, has attempted to rehabilitate the world in the name of Confucius, as former Secretary of State Pompeo and Federal Secretary of Education DeVos pointed out in a joint letter, by using it as a propaganda tool on U.S. campuses to make teachers self-censor; and by using The “Confucius Classroom” program provides CCP-screened curriculum and teachers to hundreds of kindergartens through high schools in order to expand its global reach.
According to official information from China’s Hanban, there were 548 “Confucius Institutes” in 154 countries worldwide in 2018, with the United States leading the world with more than 110 in 2015. The United States led the world with more than 110 in 2015. The Trump administration banned Department of Defense subsidies to universities with Confucius Institutes in August 2018 and classified the Confucius Institute USA as a foreign agent in 2020.
Trump’s policy has paid off. According to the National Association of Scholars, as of February 17, 64 Confucius Institutes have closed or are in the process of closing, while 55 are still in operation, and three of them plan to close this year.
In Canada, Europe and Australia, several Confucius Institutes have also been closed one after another. For example, in April 2020, Sweden closed all Confucius Institutes and classes in its territory.
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