US Congress passes bill to reduce Chinese influence on its campuses

The bill was presented by August Pfluger, the chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism, Law Enforcement, and Intelligence at the US House of Representatives, a statement by the US Department of Homeland Security reported.

"The Chinese Community Party is utilising Confucius Institutes to infiltrate American university campuses and engage in espionage, steal intellectual property, intimidate Chinese dissidents, promote communist propaganda, and funnel sensitive information back to the People's Liberation Army. This bill protects students and universities while ensuring that American dollars are not enabling foreign malign influence," said Pfluger.

According to the official Gazzate of the act released by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, this act will restrict DHS funding to an institution of higher education (IHE) that has a relationship with a 'Chinese entity of concern' or 'Confucius Institute'.

According to the act passed by the US House of Representatives, a 'Chinese Entity of Concern' would be any university or college in China that is involved in the implementation of military-civil fusion, participates in the Chinese defence industrial base, is affiliated with the Chinese State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for the National Defence, receives funding from any organisation subordinate to the Central Military Commission of the CCP and/or provides support to any security, defence, police, or intelligence organisation of the Government of China or the CCP.

Similarly, a 'Confucius Institute' is a cultural institute directly or indirectly funded by the Chinese government. The DHS statement claimed that "The CCP uses Confucius Institutes to spread their programme, steal intellectual property and research from universities, recruit spies and conduct surveillance within the homeland, and harass and target dissidents of the CCP."

The act was inspired by a hearing from May 2023 when Jill Murphy, the deputy assistant director of counterintelligence at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), confirmed that these institutes were likely being used to steal American research and achieve other strategic goals of the CCP.

Similarly, Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, said, "As higher education continues to be plagued by radical agendas and indoctrination, I commend Rep. Pfluger's leadership in ensuring the Chinese Communist Party does not interfere with American students' education."

Additionally, the chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, John Moolenaar, had mentioned, "The CCP seeks to exert its influence over all aspects of American society, and that includes the American education system. The CCP uses Confucius Institutes as a vehicle to promote a distorted picture of China and provide American universities with a financial incentive to stay in the Party's good graces. Where missiles and ships are considered 'hard power,' these institutes are 'soft power,' projecting the long arm of the CCP onto our college campuses. You see, the Chinese Communist Party funds Confucius Institutes because it wants to manipulate the minds of young Americans, whether that be digitally on TikTok or physically through Confucius Institutes."

He also urged that the US cannot allow American taxpayer dollars to support universities that allow the presence of these institutes to influence and manipulate their students. (ANI)