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China declared “reserving the right to react” if the United States interfered with the normal operations of the Confucius Institute, after Pompeo threatened to shut down.
“The Confucius Institute operates in the United States based on the voluntariness of universities, on the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit,” said on October 16 the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trieu Lap Kien, adding that these institutions They help foster cultural exchange and are “very well received by American universities and the American public.”
Trieu accused “some American politicians, especially Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, of intentionally undermining cultural and educational exchanges by degrading the Confucius Institutes and interfering in their operations.” normal of these facilities “.
“These politicians must abandon the Cold War mentality and stop interfering with cultural and people-to-people exchanges. If the United States still refuses to do so, the Chinese reserve the right to have rights.” answer, “said Mr. Trieu. The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman did not specify what the answer would be.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Trieu Lap Kien at a press conference in Beijing on 10/12. Image: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China.
The statement was made by the Chinese Foreign Ministry after Foreign Minister Pompeo mentioned in September the program of the Confucius Institute of China in the US collaborating “in American universities. He hopes that all Confucius Institutes of US college campuses close before the end of this year.
According to Pompeo, the Confucius Institutes in the country are “the entities that promote Beijing’s global propaganda and influence” and require them to register as foreign missions, which means they must. Detailed personnel information reports and a complete inventory of assets in the US, based on the Foreign Missions Act of 1982 (FMA).
By 2018, China had established 548 institutes and nearly 2,000 Confucius classes in 154 countries, most of which were located on the campuses of foreign universities or institutions. The goal of the Confucius Institute is to teach the language, spread Chinese culture, and be seen as one of the means to promote the country’s soft power.
The United States increased its control over the Confucius Institutes as tensions between Washington and Beijing showed no signs of cooling. The administration of US President Donald Trump has launched a series of “coups” against China, including banning transactions with two of the country’s top companies, ByteDance and Tencent, and punishing top Hong Kong officials, including CEO, closed the Chinese consulate in Houston.
Observers believe Trump will continue to pressure Beijing in exchange for voter support as the U.S. presidential election approaches.
Mai Lam (Follow RT)
