Rep. Barry Moore (R-Alabama) is concerned with the danger Confucius Institutes (CIs) present at American universities.
A spokesman for Moore said the congressman is aware of CIs and their purpose to act as a "conduit" to advance China Communist Party ideas within the American university system.
Most CIs have been disbanded in the United States but approximately 15 remain, according to the National Association of Scholars. Moore is aware of these active CIs and believes their existence to be a serious issue, the spokesperson said.
According to a Heritage Foundation report, CIs were introduced to the U.S. in 2004 when many colleges and universities established them as cultural centers to teach American college students the Chinese language and culture.
Dr. Lee Edwards, a historian of American conservatism and an author, wrote in May 2021, that CIs are directly funded by the CCP and directed according to the Chinese government's wishes, to paint China and its political motivations in a good way. Edwards calls the institutions "instruments of propaganda."
Teachers at the CIs are instructed to avoid certain topics in Chinese history, such as the Tiananmen Square Massacre and the Cultural Revolution, Edwards stated.
A September 2022 NAS report found that 106 CIs have closed or are in the process of closing but continue to maintain a relationship with their former CI partners. According to the report, at least 28 schools have replaced their CI with a similar program. Confucius Institutes were rebranded as the Chinese International Education Fund, formerly known as Hanban, which allows the Chinese government and CCP to influence American higher education, according to NAS.
"Rep. Moore is aware of active Confucius Institutes in our state, and he has longstanding concerns over their influence on American education and national security," Moore’s spokesperson said. "Any potential conduit for foreign influence must be treated with the utmost seriousness."
In a 2018 Politico report investigating CIs, Li Changchun, a standing member of the Politburo in Beijing, said in 2011, “the Confucius Institute is an appealing brand for expanding our culture abroad; it has made an important contribution toward improving our soft power. The ‘Confucius’ brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical.”
The Chinese government is spending more than $10 billion annually on CIs, according to Politico.
According to the Austin Journal, CIs were rebranded as Chinese education centers by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation. The mission of the center is to promote the Chinese language and culture, support local Chinese teaching internationally, and facilitate cultural exchanges.
This organization has been used by the CCP to infiltrate American education with restrictions on free speech and a pro-China attitude, the Austin Journal reported.
