A growing number of U.S. universities are cutting ties with the Confucius Institute as the University of Southern Maine plans to close it.
The University of Southern Maine (US) plans to close its Confucius Institute, cutting ties with the Chinese-funded language teaching program, the Associated Press reports.
Marc Glass, director of public affairs at the University of Southern Maine, told the AP that the university remains committed to “people-to-people exchanges, enhancing global understanding and promoting cross-cultural learning,” but that too few students are using the Confucius Institute.
In a statement, Glass said, “While our relationship with the Confucius Institute has strengthened our language program, we have found that it reaches too few students to be sustainable.”
Glass said the university’s Confucius Institute will close on June 10. The Confucius Institute has not yet commented on the issue.
Tufts University (Tufts) also announced last month that it would close its Confucius Institute, the Associated Press said. This follows months of protests by opponents of the Chinese government, including the Tibetan Association of Boston.
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