Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat.

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The United States Department of Defense has designated Confucius Institutes, Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses, as a threat to US national security, according to Al Jazeera English. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the move on Friday in a video posted on social media, saying the Pentagon added the organisations to its list of institutions that threaten national security. Washington has long accused the centres of serving as Chinese propaganda tools and has taken steps to crack down on them.

The Pentagon has alleged that Confucius Institutes had operated in disguise after being restricted by Congress, calling them “sleeper organisations”. “It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had popped up using different names and different charters, but with the same mission: to steal intellectual property and to infiltrate the minds of American students,” Hegseth said, as reported by The Guardian — World.

In the video, Hegseth said that Chinese government-backed cultural programmes had infiltrated universities and reappeared in new guises despite congressional restrictions. Over the past two months, the Pentagon has “systematically dismantled every single one of these organisations”, he said.

The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment, as reported by Al Jazeera English. The move by the Pentagon is the latest step in a long-standing effort to crack down on Confucius Institutes, which have been accused of serving as Chinese propaganda tools.

The designation of Confucius Institutes as a national security threat is a significant development in the ongoing tensions between the US and China. The move is likely to have significant implications for universities and students who have been involved with Confucius Institutes.