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1 [1] (December 2, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govegmy0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated December 2, 2021 Confucius Institutes in the United States: Selected Issues The People's Republic of China (PRC)'s Confucius Institutes, which offer Chinese language instruction in universities around the world, have been the subject of controversy since appearingon U.S. campuses in 2005, particularly for their perceivedeffects on academic freedom and lack of transparency. They have attracted further attention in recent years as the broader U.S.-China relationship has deteriorated. Some Members of Congress and others have alleged that they may play a role in China's efforts to influence public opinion abroad, recruit influence agents onU.S. campuses, and engage in cyber espionage andintellectualproperty theft. PRC officials and scholars deny such charges, and suggest that the Institutes have become victims ofa U.S. Cold Warmentality . Supporters of the Institutes emphasize that they provide Chinese language and cultural programs that benefit students, universities, and surrounding communities and which may not otherwise be available. Po Lcy DevIoprents A provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019 (P.L. 115-232, Section 1091) prohibits the use of Department of Defense (DOD) funds for Chinese language instruction providedby a Confucius Institute or to support a Chinese language programat an institution ofhigher education that hosts a Confucius Institute. In August 2020, the Trump Administration designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center (CIUS), whose purpose is to oversee Confucius Institutes in the United States, as a foreign mission of the PRC. The designationrequires CIUS to regularly file information about its operations with the Department of State. CIUS is a PRC-funded, 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity based in Washington, DC. On December 31, 2020, the Trump Adminis tration is sued a proposed rule entitled Establishing Requirementfor Student and Exchange Visitor ProgramCertified Schools to Disclose Agreements with Confucius Institutes and Classrooms. The draftrule reportedly did not complete the Office of Management and Budget review process by the end of the Trump Administration term. The Biden Administration has not resubmitted theproposal. Hkstory and Mission The first Confucius Institute opened in 2004 in Seoul, South Korea, followed by one at the University of Maryland (which closed in 2020). The Institutes, whichoperate in over 160 countries, are patterned after other national language and culturalprograms, such as France's Alliance Francais e, Germany 's Goethe Institute, the U.K.'s British Council, and Spain's Instituto Cervantes, with some differences. Confucius Institutes exercise less autonomy from their home governmentthan their European counterparts, andmostly are situated within foreign educational institutions, while their foreign counterparts are not. In addition to providing Chinese language instruction, according to analysts, Confucius Institutes appear designed to help improve China's international image or reduce what PRC officials view as misconceptions about China. iVeariy all OilIuCiuS ils ulates iocus oii %-l1es laiig aage instruction at the introductory level. U.S. Confucius Institutes generally offer noncredit courses to thepublic for a fee. In a minority of cases, they offer clas ses to enrolled students for credit, or Institute instructors teach credit courses in academic departments. The Institutes oftenwork with university departments to co-sponsor Chinese cultural events, academic seminars, and conferences focused on doing business in China. They also sponsor programs for U.S. students and scholars to study Chinese languagein the PRC, and they serve as platforms for academic collaboration between U.S. and Chinese universities. In 2020, the PRC government renamed theparent organization of the Confucius Institutes, the Chinese Language Council International (conmonly referred to as Hanban), as the Center for Language Education and Cooperation. As part of the change, the Chinese International Education Foundation, aMinistry of Education-sponsored, nongovernmental charitable organization comprised of universities and corporations, was formed to provide funding to theInstitutes. Confucius Institutes in the United States The number of Confucius Institutes in the United States grew to 103 by 2017, mostly on university campuses, out of nearly 550 worldwide. China spent over $158 million on Confucius Institutes in the United States between 2006 and

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