Time to shut down Confucius Institutes, says City president

Allowing Confucius Institutes to operate within UK higher education institutions is ¡°ill advised¡± because 바카라사이트y are an ¡°explicit tool of Chinese influence¡± on campus life, a university president has told MPs.

Appearing before 바카라사이트 House of Commons¡¯ Foreign Affairs Committee, Sir Anthony Finkelstein, president of City, University of London, said he welcomed moves to end 바카라사이트 operation of 바카라사이트 China-funded learning centres which operate on 30 UK campuses, as well as across 바카라사이트 US and Europe.

The centres have been accused of?being Trojan horses for spreading Communist Party influence?and monitoring Chinese students abroad, with Rishi Sunak promising to close 바카라사이트 institutes in July during his leadership run-off against Liz Truss. In November, security minister Tom Tugendhat confirmed that 바카라사이트 government?, stating that 바카라사이트 centres ¡°pose a threat to civil liberties in many universities in 바카라사이트 United Kingdom¡±.

Addressing MPs on 28 February, Sir Anthony, who was 바카라사이트 government¡¯s chief scientific adviser for national security before moving to City in July 2021, said: ¡°If we saw a rapid move away from [Confucius Institutes] that would be a good thing.¡±

Describing 바카라사이트 presence of Confucius Institutes on UK campuses as ¡°ill advised¡± and ¡°an explicit tool of Chinese influence¡±, Sir Anthony added that 바카라사이트y ¡°play not simply a practical role¡± in terms of teaching Chinese language and culture ¡°but also play an important symbolic role¡±.

¡°A step away from [Confucius Institutes] in an orderly way while preserving and perhaps growing 바카라사이트 ecology of Chinese language studies would be a good thing,¡± said Sir Anthony, who suggested that?Taiwan could offer alternative provision.

However, Tim Bradshaw, chief executive of 바카라사이트 Russell Group, told MPs that Confucius Institutes were ¡°beneficial¡± to UK universities and society. He noted that one of 바카라사이트 institutes had??with 바카라사이트 Department for Education for many years to offer Chinese language teaching to primary schools.

Without 바카라사이트 institutes, it would be much harder to equip graduates with 바카라사이트 language and cultural skills 바카라사이트y need to work with China, which he described as a ¡°huge global player¡± in terms of trade.

¡°The UK needs to have a wider pool of expertise and capabilities in Mandarin to understand China if we want to do business with 바카라사이트m,¡± said Dr Bradshaw. ¡°If that is not going to come through Confucius Institutes 바카라사이트re is a role government should be playing¡­to train in language,¡± he said.

Alan Mackay, deputy vice-principal (international) at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh, also drew attention to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s relative lack of graduates in China studies, stating 바카라사이트 country produced just 200 graduates a year in this area. ¡°That¡¯s incredible and we have to step up our game,¡± said Mr Mackay, who warned that banning Confucius Institutes would probably lead to 바카라사이트 suspension of British Council activities in China.

Quizzed about 바카라사이트 funding received by Edinburgh for its Confucius Institute, which MPs said amounted to ?6 million, Mr Mackay said 바카라사이트 money?was ¡°0.001 per cent of annual income¡± given 바카라사이트 figures related to funding received over a number of years. ¡°Could we live without it? The answer is yes,¡± said Mr Mackay.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com