BEIJING REJECTS WASHINGTON’S SECURITY CHARGES AS CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE DISPUTE DEEPENS

October 26, 2026

BEIJING, October 26, 2026: China has strongly criticised the United States for designating Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes operating on American university campuses as a threat to national security, describing the move as an attempt to smear and stigmatise Chinese educational and cultural programmes.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Monday that educational exchanges between China and the United States benefited both countries by promoting mutual understanding and should not be disrupted by political tensions.

The response followed US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announcement on Friday that the Pentagon had placed Confucius Institutes on its list of institutions considered threats to American national security. Hegseth alleged that 80 organisations had re-emerged under different names and charters across 30 universities, with the objective of stealing intellectual property and influencing American students. He also claimed that the Defence Department had dismantled these organisations over the preceding two months.

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency condemned the designation as an excessive measure, arguing that it reflected distorted threat perceptions and an attempt by some American politicians to intensify anti-China sentiment ahead of the US midterm elections.

Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of functioning as instruments of Chinese propaganda and has taken measures to restrict their activities. The latest exchange underscores continuing tensions between the two countries over national security, academic cooperation and China’s cultural influence within American universities.