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On US College Campuses, Student Groups Call for Closure of Beijing-Funded
Confucius Institutes

Ping Zhang

   Two of the largest U.S. college campus political organizations are
   calling for the closure of all Confucius Institutes in the United
   States, saying the Beijing-funded outposts are part of the Chinese
   Communist Party's attempt to control discourse on China at American
   universities.

   The open letter states that China's actions at U.S. colleges and
   universities "pose an existential threat to academic freedom as we know
   it."

   The [1]Athenai Institute, a recently formed non-profit organization
   "dedicated to limiting the influence of the Chinese Communist Party on
   U.S. college campuses, [2]published the letter.

   Signatories of the May 13 missive included leaders of the College
   Republican National Committee and the College Democrats of America, as
   well as human rights groups representing "the continued struggles of
   Hong Kongers, Mongolians, Taiwanese, Tibetans, Uyghurs, and others"
   against China.

   Rory O'Connor, president of the Athenai Institute and deputy director
   of human development for the College Democrats, said he was surprised
   how many partisan student organizations united in the call to close
   Confucius Institutes (CIs). He said that reflects growing concern among
   college students and others about the overseas influence of the Chinese
   Communist Party (CCP).

   "You're seeing this massive generation-wide consensus and we tapped
   into it with what we're doing and we didn't even recognize it," said
   O'Connor who is working out of a dorm room as the group works on
   getting office space. "We are able to tap into this national massive
   concern or this shared concern really on the part of college students
   across the country. Young people get this and they're doing something
   about it."

   The CIs, sponsored by Hanban, the Chinese government agency that
   promotes Chinese culture and language worldwide, have long been
   controversial in the US and elsewhere due to their deep ties to the
   CCP.

References

   1. https://www.athenai.org/the-project
   2. https://ded2c2d3-2166-446c-a941-a2344cb88920.filesusr.com/ugd/d5a0ea_441a6671c13b4720b2d9f39ceb9e1208.pdf

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