Confucius Institutes have become synonymous with the Chinese Communist Party’s big outreach tool in recent years, and countries around the world have been closing them. The University of Southern Maine has announced plans to close its Confucius Institute, and a growing number of U.S. universities are now cutting ties with Confucius Institutes.
According to the Associated Press, the Confucius Institute receives funding from the Chinese government and offers Chinese language and other cultural programs on campus, and Marc Glass, director of public affairs at the University of Southern Maine, said the university remains committed to “people-to-people exchanges, enhancing global understanding and promoting cross-cultural learning. “
In a statement, Glass noted, “While our relationship with the Confucius Institute has strengthened our language programs, we have found that the Confucius Institute has too few students to sustain.” The Confucius Institute at the University of Southern Maine will close in the future on June 10. Also, Tufts University (Tufts) announced last month that it will close its Confucius Institute, and the University of Trier (Germany) will suspend all activities and the deanship of the Confucius Institute on campus.
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