American universities closed down most of the more than 100 Beijing-linked Confucius Institutes around the country yet many continue operating under new names and programs that promote Chinese propaganda and soft power, according to an academic research report.
A total of 118 Confucius Institutes were operating at U.S. universities and 104 have closed or are in the process of closing, the report by the National Association of Scholars says.
However, the Chinese government is continuing to influence American universities using alternative organizations and methods, the report states.
“The demise of Confucius Institutes, one of China’s most strategic beachheads in American higher education, has not deterred the Chinese government from seeking alternative means of influencing American colleges and universities,” the report concludes.