Biden State Department Nominee Is a Defender of China Propaganda Program

A top State Department nominee is a defender of the Confucius Institute, a Chinese government program that disseminates pro-Beijing propaganda on American college campuses.

Victoria Nuland, President Biden's choice for undersecretary of state for political affairs, voiced support for the expansion of the Chinese government-funded Confucius Institute at American universities in a 2012 press conference.

A reporter asked Nuland if the Obama administration was concerned about "The Confucius Institute's expansion in the U.S. as the strongest Chinese soft power?".

Nuland's sympathetic comments about the Confucius Institute could ruffle feathers in the Senate, which will decide whether to confirm the former diplomat to the third-highest position in the State Department.

"Any nominee who has spoken in favor of Confucius Institutes is extremely concerning," said a spokesman for Sen. Marsha Blackburn.

"Confucius Institutes are threatening academic liberty and free speech without shame, and too many American schools have fallen victim to the political con," Sen. John Kennedy, the sponsor of the anti-Confucius Institute bill, said in August.

The Confucius Institute continues to be a hot button issue in the Senate, which will decide whether to confirm Nuland to the undersecretary position.

https://freebeacon.com/national-security/biden-state-department-nominee-is-a-defender-of-china-propaganda-program/