Pentagon Labels China-Funded Confucius Institutes a National Security Threat

The US Department of Defense has classified China-funded Confucius cultural institutes as a threat to American national security, accusing them of operating as fronts for propaganda and intellectual property theft.

The department announced that it had dismantled what it described as 80 new propaganda cells operating at 30 universities. It said the cells used disguised names to conceal their activities.

According to the department’s allegations, the operations went beyond cultural outreach and were intended to steal intellectual property. The announcement linked those activities to the network of Chinese-funded institutes.

The summary provided no details on the universities involved, the names used by the alleged cells or the intellectual property said to have been targeted. It also did not specify how the operations were dismantled.

The accusations represent the US defense department’s assessment. No response from China or the institutions concerned was included in the information provided.