The Senate unanimously passed legislation March 4 to give universities control over Confucius Institutes that host them over concerns the organization suppresses free speech on American college campuses.
Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, sponsor of the legislation, said the Chinese government wages an influence war through its Confucius Institutes. The organization that claims to promote culture studies on campuses receives direct funding from the Chinese government, through the Chinese International Education Foundation.
“Confucius Institutes are under the control of the Chinese Communist Party in all but name,” Kennedy said. “They are propaganda centers that threaten academic liberty and free speech without shame, and too many American schools are falling victim to the political con every day.”
The National Association of Scholars said that in a rebranding of the institutes, they will continue to expand the Chinese government’s goal of maintaining a presence at American college campuses. They will reportedly spread propaganda, conduct espionage, monitor Chinese students and forge ahead with "making the foreign serve China."
Eight years ago, the American Association of University Professors recommended universities discontinue involvement in Confucius Institutes unless they are able to renegotiate that the university has unilateral control over academic matters, including recruitment of teachers, determination of curriculum and choice of texts. The recommendation said Confucius Institute teachers deserved the same academic freedom rights as all other faculty.
A reading of the bill sponsored by Kennedy shows that it prevents institutes of education from receiving Department of Education funding unless they protect academic freedom at the institution and prohibit the application of any foreign law on any campus of the institution. Provisions of the bill also would grant full managerial authority of the Confucius Institute to the institution. That includes what is being taught, the activities carried out, the research grants that are made and who is employed at the Confucius Institute.
