The Briefing Room
State Chapters => Arizona => Topic started by: Elderberry on February 28, 2020, 02:20:29 am
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KOLD13 2/27/2020
Officials announced Thursday that the University of Arizona will close the Confucius Institute this summer.
The institute, located just off the UA campus on 1215 E. Helen St., will close permanently on July 1, 2020, according to a news release. In the statement, officials cited changes in federal law and police as reasons for the institute’s closure.
First established at the UA in 2007, the Confucius Institute at the UA is a collaboration between the university and Headquarters of Confucius Institute, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China, according to the institute’s web page. The center works to provide the university and surrounding communities opportunities to learn about Chinese culture and heritage, offer Chinese language instruction to public schools and promote Chinese health and wellness.
More: https://www.kold.com/2020/02/27/university-arizona-permanently-close-confucius-institute-citing-new-federal-policies/ (https://www.kold.com/2020/02/27/university-arizona-permanently-close-confucius-institute-citing-new-federal-policies/)
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The article said nothing to elucidate this opaque phrase, "changes in federal law and police". Media incompetence? Political hit-piece? Both?
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Following Federal Pressure, UMD Will Close A Program That Had Chinese Government Support
https://wamu.org/story/20/01/17/following-federal-pressure-umd-will-close-a-program-that-had-chinese-government-support/ (https://wamu.org/story/20/01/17/following-federal-pressure-umd-will-close-a-program-that-had-chinese-government-support/)
The University of Maryland is ending a cultural education program it has long hosted with support from the Chinese government.
UMD’s Confucius Institute was the oldest of roughly 90 such institutes in the U.S. Founded in 2004, the institute did not grant degrees or give credit, but offered students classes in Chinese language and culture, and it put on events. The Chinese government provided teachers, educational materials and paid some directors’ salaries. Teachers from the institute sometimes worked in nearby K-12 schools.
Universities’ agreements with China raised a number of questions about academic freedom for staff who worked in or with the institutes. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) accused the institutes of exposing schools to espionage, and the Senate held a hearing on the institutes last year.
As political pressure grew, and with Pentagon funding at risk, many schools closed their Confucius Institutes.
Loh’s letter cited the federal law change as the reason it was closing its institute.
From his letter:
In 2018, Congress enacted the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. It includes language that prevents organizations that host a CI from participating in certain federally funded programs. After evaluating the impact of this legislation on UMD, it became evident that we can no longer host CIM. We have notified CI Headquarters in Beijing that we are ending our agreement.
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Report: Columbia failed to disclose $1 million in funding from Chinese sources
Christian Schneider - Senior College Fix Reporter
•December 7, 2020
Columbia University neglected to disclose over $1 million in funding from the Chinese government used to run its Confucius Institute, according to a report by the Washington Free Beacon.
The site notes a portion of the $1 million allowed Columbia to hire Prof. Wei Dedong, an adviser to the Chinese regime’s propaganda department, to run its Confucius Institute. Columbia is the only Ivy League university to host such an institute on campus.
This year, universities across America have been closing Confucius Institutes, as academics and lawmakers across the political spectrum sounded the alarm about their potential to spread propaganda and stifle the academic freedom of faculty. ... The College Fix (https://www.thecollegefix.com/report-columbia-failed-to-disclose-1-million-in-funding-from-chinese-sources/)
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Hmmmm....
A "Confucius Institute" here, another one there, and another one somewhere else.
But I'll bet EVERY ONE of them has a cadre of operatives of the CCP embedded within...