Many elite universities with Confucius Institute programs appear to be unfazed by the Trump administration's decision last week to designate the D.C-based headquarters of the program as a "Foreign mission"-a label the U.S. government applies to entities it finds to be directly controlled by a foreign power.
Despite the announcement, nearly 50 colleges and universities will continue their partnership with Confucius Institute programs, which comes with up to $1 million in Chinese government funding.
In just the first eight months of 2020, 22 universities have eliminated chapters of the Confucius Institute-one more than the number of chapters shut down in all of 2019.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a consistent critic of the Confucius Institute in Congress, applauded the universities for ending their ties with the program but warned that the colleges might still find alternative means to partner with the Chinese government.
After the White House announced the "Foreign mission" designation, the Washington Free Beacon reached out to all U.S. colleges and universities with an active Confucius Institute.
The Chinese government has funneled more than $150 million into U.S. universities to fund more than 100 Confucius Institute programs across the country, according to a Senate report.
"The Confucius Institute brand is no longer attractive. However, that's not to say colleges and universities are walking back their partnerships with China, they're just walking back Confucius institutes," Peterson said.
https://freebeacon.com/campus/top-universities-take-millions-from-china-front-group/
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