Under pressure from the US, Colorado State University ends partnership with China and closes its Confucius Institute to maintain funding from the Department of Defense
A center at Colorado State University (CSU), partially funded by the Chinese government, will close at the end of this year after Congress restricted funding for universities that host such programs.
There are hundreds of Confucius Institutes around the world. Named after the famous Chinese philosopher, CSU’s Confucius Institute offers Chinese language and culture classes to the broader community.
These educational centers have faced bipartisan opposition in recent years, largely due to their dependence on Chinese government funding. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, passed by Congress on New Year’s Day after overruling a presidential veto, included provisions that restrict funding for Department of Defense (DOD) research at universities that host a Confucius Institute.
According to Kathleen Fairfax, vice provost for international affairs at CSU, DOD funding is too significant to justify the Confucius Institute’s continued existence.
“We receive all types of funding from the Department of Defense for various projects, whether they are independent research on specific initiatives or student funding such as graduate fellowships,” Fairfax said. “And we would never jeopardize all the good work that is happening with these projects funded by just a small amount of money that we receive to carry out some cultural programs.”
On the other hand, Fairfax reported that the Chinese government subsidizes about $150,000, a small amount compared to Defense Department funding.
Fairfax said that even without this funding, CSU plans to continue offering cultural enrichment programs.
“It’s always good to have some financial support to run great programs, but we will find a way to continue these programs without that money,” Fairfax said. “I am confident that we will continue with our mission of people-to-people diplomacy.”
Two people were employed by the Confucius Institute. One of them already planned to leave the university at the end of the year, while the other will transfer to the Fairfax department.
An increasing number of universities in the US have closed their Confucius Institutes. In 2019, the federal government suspended funding for critical language programs at universities that had an Institute on their campuses, leading to several closures.
Recently, President Joe Biden’s nominee for CIA director, William Burns, told the US Senate Intelligence Committee that he recommends closing the Confucius Institutes, classifying them as propaganda tools.
“Programs like Confucius Institutes fund Chinese language education and offer the Chinese Communist Party direct access to university officials,” Burns wrote. “Beijing uses this access to disseminate positive portrayals of China and divert conversations away from topics sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party.”
Fairfax said he had not personally seen any attempt by the Institute to disseminate propaganda. According to her, the center’s focus is equal cultural exchange.
“It really comes down to community engagement about language and culture,” Fairfax said. “I can’t speak for all Confucius Institutes in the U.S., but I don’t see this as a national or security threat, although I understand the larger implications of mixing Chinese government funding with American universities.”
CSU’s Confucius Institute will close in June. The Community College of Denver also housed a Confucius Institute, which closed last September due to “budgetary and environmental circumstances.”
With information from CPR News*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/12/28/universidade-se-rende-a-guerra-eua-china-e-encerra-instituto-chines/
