Texas Scorecard by Kristen Stanciu | July 26, 2022
“[T]o cultivate and prepare a group (or army) of people to make sure the CCP will be in power in the future… and increase our CCP influence around the world.”In recent years, the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have become increasingly vocal about their intent and desire to infiltrate and manipulate the West to its own benefit. As part of this effort, the CCP has attempted to infiltrate institutions of higher education, as well as secondary schools in the United States and elsewhere
In Texas, they were successful.
In our investigation, Texas Scorecard found CCP infiltration at both the university level (including University of Texas campuses and Texas A&M) and the K-12 level (including the Coppell and Houston Independent School Districts).
While many of these institutions have closed or rebranded in Texas, the results should concern every American, as they reveal what many have suspected for years: the connection— or money trails—between American education and the Chinese government are deeper and longer than appearances would suggest.
The Confucius InstituteMany schools and universities worldwide boast of programs that expose students to other languages and cultures, including cultural activities, foreign language instruction, and educational trips abroad. But since 2004, another kind of institute has been popping up at places of higher education around the world: the Confucius Institute.
Using the name of an ancient Chinese philosopher as a Trojan Horse, Confucius Institutes appear to be an international network of educational programs that provide Chinese language instruction, organize cultural activities, and host Chinese speakers. However, these organizations may have a secondary political purpose that transcends the teaching of basic Chinese language and culture.
The Confucius Institute network is controlled by the CCP’s Ministry of Education’s Office of Chinese Language Council International, commonly referred to as “Hanban.” Hanban describes itself as a non-profit, non-governmental organization affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education. However, Hanban’s governing body is composed of representatives from 12 state ministries, including the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Many of these Institutes also serve as host organizations for Confucius Classrooms, which target K-12 schools. As of 2019, more than 100 Confucius Institutes have been established in the United States, along with at least 519 Confucius Classrooms —more than any other country in the world.
Suspicions of these Institutes are often written off as xenophobic and baseless, but the words of CCP-connected oppressors raise serious red flags.
In 2011, Li Changchun, a former member of the Chinese government, described Confucius Institutes as “an appealing brand for expanding [Chinese] culture abroad,” stating that the program “has made an important contribution toward improving our soft power.” Changchun further acknowledges that “the ‘Confucius’ brand has a natural attractiveness. Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical.”
Just a year earlier, the China’s minister of propaganda sounded off about the program, instructing his fellow leaders to “coordinate the efforts of overseas and domestic propaganda, [and] further create a favorable international environment for us… with regard to key issues that influence our sovereignty and safety, we should actively carry out international propaganda battles against issuers such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, human rights and Falun Gong. … We should do well in establishing and operating overseas cultural centers and Confucius Institutes.”
President Xi Jinping’s predecessor, Hu Jintao, said that the Institutes were a way “to cultivate and prepare a group (or army) of people to make sure the CCP will be in power in the future… and increase our CCP influence around the world.” These instructions were well-heeded by the Confucius Institute Headquarters. In a 2014 interview with the BBC, the Director General of the Headquarters confirmed that should a student question controversial political issues such as the relationship between Taiwan and China, “Every mainland teacher we send . . . will say Taiwan belongs to China. We should have one China. No hesitation.”
More:
https://texasscorecard.com/state/communist-china-in-texas-confucius-institutes/
