It is a propaganda weapon of the Chinese dictatorial regime within the campus of a university, in a free and democratic country
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¿What is the Confucius Institute?
China's multimillion-dollar Confucius Institute program educates students from kindergarten to university around the world. ¿Why we should pay attention to it?
Culture. Language. Can. At its peak, China opened until 2013 a Confucius Institute (IC) per week in partnership with school boards and academic institutions around the world, with the goal of opening a thousand for the year 2020. However, A growing number of schools are beginning to cut ties with the program, alarmed by concerns ranging from human rights violations, financial incentives and censored content, to national security and espionage. in 2016 China only opened 16 IC.
In China, 3 Millions of children do not go to school due to poverty, but China spent 2 billion dollars in 10 years establishing and financing 500 Confucius Institutes and 1.000 Confucius classrooms around the world. The program is aimed at students of all ages. A senior Chinese official called ICs “an important part of Chinese foreign propaganda.””. This has raised fears that China wants to frame the thinking of foreign students.
Western universities rely on China for students to cover declining enrollment. The ICs are another relationship between the school and China. This has led to evidence that schools self-censor Chinese affairs.. Some universities have limited campus activities critical of the Chinese Communist Party. Both the Canadian Association of University Teachers (I'M LOOKING FOR) such as the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) have asked universities to end ties with the IC program.
Normal language institutes operate independently of their governments, just like universities in Western countries. But all staff and curriculum at Confucius Institutes are controlled by the Chinese government.. Unlike other language institutes, ICs join universities, colleges and schools, giving credibility and access to students. The Canadian Intelligence and Security Service (CSIS) says ICs can be used to recruit spies, conduct espionage and interfere with foreign governments. In Canada, ICs have been involved in mobilizing students to protest policies that China does not like..
Many schools see Confucius Institutes as a source of money and a way to get more Chinese students.. Some, however, have concerns. At least a dozen institutions, including the University of Lyon, have closed their CIs over academic independence concerns.
