The Utah House of Representatives passed a resolution calling for the closure of the state’s Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes.
The Salt Lake Tribune reported on March 2 that the state House of Representatives passed a resolution calling on the state’s two universities to shut down their outstanding Confucius Institutes on the grounds that they may pose a threat to U.S. national security by helping the Chinese Communist Party spy on them.
Utah’s state House of Representatives had previously passed a joint House-Senate resolution, but after the state Senate failed to bring it to a vote, the state House voted again Tuesday night to pass the Resolution to Protect Utah’s Institutions of Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party on behalf of the state House alone, by a vote of 69-1.
It is unclear why the state Senate did not hold a hearing on the resolution. The Senate President has previously expressed concern about the resolution, saying he would examine whether the contents of the bill would affect Utah’s trade relations with China.
The resolution passed by the state House of Representatives recommends that the University of Utah and Southern Utah University, which continue to operate Confucius Institutes in Utah, close them by Dec. 1, 2022.
In a statement to the Salt Lake City Tribune, a spokesman for the University of Utah said the university had planned to close the institute by mid-2023, and as a result of the passage of the resolution, the decision has been made to close the institute about six months earlier.
A Southern Utah University spokesperson previously said that if the resolution passes, the university will implement its requirements and “begin preparations to close the Confucius Institute.” But the resolution has only passed the state House of Representatives, and it is unclear whether Southern Utah University will still do so.
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