By Tanja Brkić (Nova24tv)
Colleges and universities across America have closed the doors of their Confucius Institutes over the past few years amid mounting criticism of the centres’ funding ties to the Chinese Communist government, but at the same time as the closures, new institutes are opening, also funded by the Chinese Communist Party, only under another name. We also have one of these in Slovenia, and it works as part of the Faculty of Economics in Ljubljana, whose dean is a supporter of the Social Democrats (SD). Coincidence?
Chinese Communist Party mentality is returning to America’s college campuses – Communist-backed Confucius Institutes are renewing efforts to shape American minds, reported Fox. And not only American ones. We also have one such institute in Ljubljana, and it operates within the Faculty of Economics (EF). And considering that Metka Tekavčič, the dean of EF, is also the former president of the Ljubljana SD committee, it is not surprising that efforts to shape minds also extend to Ljubljana students. Confucius Institutes in the US are usually on college campuses with a few exceptions that operate within school districts. Their goal, according to their website, is to teach students about Chinese language and culture, as tensions between the Chinese government and the United States reach an uncomfortable level, while American intelligence agencies warn that the teaching of language and culture is only a cover that the Communist Party is trying to promote within the walls of American classrooms. According to a published report of intelligence agencies, the Chinese government-sponsored university is required to provide a specific curriculum and textbook selection. It is also said to be responsible for supervising and coordinating all teachers and staff.
They use the Confucius Institutes to spread Chinese government propaganda
In 2019, FBI director Christopher Wray already expressed concern about the mentioned institutes, who believed that they were just part of China’s “soft power strategy”. The institutes are said to be used to spread Chinese government or Chinese Communist Party propaganda to promote censorship to limit academic freedom. Due to the criticism, several American universities decided to close their doors to Confucius Institutes, reducing the number of Confucius Institutes from 118 to 18. However, as at least 100 colleges and universities closed their Confucius Institutes, effectively ending these agreements with entities of the Chinese Communist Party, many of the educational institutions have since entered into new agreements with the Chinese government, reported Fox, and then opened institutions under different names, again funded by China.
We also have one in Ljubljana
The Confucius Institute also operates in Ljubljana, and on its website, they describe themselves as “a non-profit organisation operating under the auspices of the China Foundation for International Education with headquarters in Beijing”. It works within the Faculty of Economics, which is headed by SD supporter Metka Tekavčič, who is also on the board of directors of the aforementioned institute.
According to them, more than 400 Confucius Institutes and 1,000 Confucius Classrooms have been established in 154 countries, “whose task is to teach Chinese language and culture around the world and connect world cultures with China, and to achieve their purpose, they also organise Chinese language courses and culture, business seminars and workshops on doing business with China, cultural events to mark traditional Chinese holidays”. They also have special programmes for children and the youngest.
The fact is that China has a very clear communist mentality, but at the same time it is very technologically capable. The US is trying hard to break the bonds of dependence with its technology. Members of Congress in the US are about to vote on one of the most important pieces of national security legislation in recent history: the “CHIPS” Act, aimed at increasing domestic semiconductor production in the US, which is currently heavily dependent on China, meaning that American workers and soldiers must rely on Chinese technology for their protection. Despite all the avoidance of Chinese technology, it has found a way to get to data and young minds. Both with the Confucius Institutes and with its applications used by young people.