The Pentagon has designated Chinese-funded Confucius Institutes on American university campuses as a national security threat, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Oct. 23.
In a social media video reported by Reuters and carried by Investing.com, Hegseth alleged that 80 organizations had emerged at 30 universities under different names and charters. He accused them of pursuing intellectual property theft and influencing students.
Hegseth said the department had dismantled those organizations over the previous two months. Reuters reported that China’s embassy in Washington had not immediately responded to a request for comment.
A separate Pentagon announcement on Oct. 19 described the results of research security audits at 30 universities. It said the institutions had resolved identified relationships with foreign entities of concern and taken more than 80 actions involving the termination of partnerships.
That earlier announcement covered relationships with organizations on the federal Section 1286 list, as well as precautionary terminations involving entities outside it.
Navy Times reported that the university reviews also included partnerships with organizations associated with rebranded Confucius Institutes. The department praised seven universities for moving quickly to end relationships and introduce safeguards.
Some universities challenged the Pentagon’s assessment of their partnerships, saying the ties did not threaten research security, The Washington Post reported.