The Trump administration issued a warning to universities and other schools in the United States on Oct. 9, asking them to reflect on the possible adverse effects of their association with the Confucius Institute.
According to the Associated Press, in a letter sent to university and state education officials, the U.S. Departments of State and Education cited the Confucius Institutes as an opportunity for China to threaten freedom of expression in the U.S. The letter urged schools to review their activities and take action.
The letter urged schools to re-examine the activities of the Confucius Institutes and take action to protect the educational environment of the schools.
The letter also mentions China’s national security laws in Hong Kong, citing the example of professors at some U.S. universities who now allow students to avoid discussing Chinese politics in order to avoid persecution of students from Hong Kong or China upon their return to China.
The letter does not explicitly ask individual schools to sever ties with the Confucius Institutes, but notes that severing ties could avoid the problem of appeals. At the same time, the letter also mentions that in some schools, good Chinese language and culture programs have been established without the influence of the Chinese government.
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