China’s Confucius Institutes stare at closure in India, across world
Ban on Chinese apps, and now a likely review of the institutes have irked China, which is desperately trying to link these with Galwan clash, Hindu nationalism, and other laughable comparisons
There are around 550 Confucius Institutes and 1,172 Confucius Classrooms in 162 countries
China is fuming over the proposed scrutiny of its Confucius Institutes across the world, especially India, given it could be a huge loss of face for the country’s Communist Party.
Confucius Institutes are funded by the Chinese government and have offices (around 550) across the world, including India. These institutes often are the one-point contact for students wishing to prove their Chinese proficiency or visit the country for studies.
These institutes maintain a low profile and are usually hosted by local universities (Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) in Tamil Nadu, for example), which are often obligated to not disclose the funding they receive from China. They spread a clout in close circles and can influence decisions of the universities (and the governments) on matters that are important for China’s CCP (Communist Party), such as blocking speeches by Dalai Lama, discussions on China’s communism, Tibet, Taiwan, etc – some say these could even impact elections in a democracy or fund armed communist outfits.
What is lesser known is the corruption in Confucius Institutes. Students appearing for the HSK Chinese proficiency exam in India have to go through these institutes and are usually asked to deposit a huge amount into the Director’s account, which is apart from the fees paid for the exam, and unaccounted for by the institutes.
However, a larger plot was uncovered in the US in 2020 under the Trump administration, when the US Department of State designated the Confucius Institutes as a foreign mission, and the US government stopped funding to the host universities.
In February 2021, the US Department of State said in a press briefing that nothing has changed under the Biden administration. Spokesperson Ned Price said, “When it comes to the Confucius Institutes, we have ongoing concerns about activities of the CCP, including through these institutes, given that they might affect academic freedom in the United States. The State Department, as you know, designated the Confucius Institute U.S. Center as a foreign mission of the PRC. That stands.”
“Now, when it comes to this administration, we’ll treat Confucius Institutes as part of our overall approach of how best to respond to China’s use of information operations and other coercive and corrupting efforts to undermine and interfere in democracies. That’s something we will continue to do,” he added.
This has had a rippling effect across the world, with Australia and India watching the institutes closely. These countries are likely to make it very difficult for the institutes to continue without changes – and rebranding like in the US is unlikely to succeed in India or Australia.
Apart from a huge setback in terms of espionage or political clout, this could dent Xi Ping’s image severely. As China has never allowed global social media sites to operate in the country, it can do little to force a counter ban on apps or vis-à-vis Confucius Institutes now.
A helpless China is now desperately trying to avoid such loss of face. An article by its state-owned website, Global Times, linked the probable review of Confucius Institutes in India to Galwan clash, Hindu nationalism, and other means that could be used by the opposition in India to cause social unrest. It said, “The Confucius Institute is just a Chinese language education institution…India’s suppression of the Confucius Institutes reflects cultural superiority of Hindu nationalism, which is out of a sense of exclusivity. It is exactly the same as the Indian government’s suppression of Muslims and Islam. This indicates that Indian society has lost its openness and pluralism.
“Second, India’s restrictions on the Confucius Institutes are exactly the same as those imposed by the US. This shows that the Indian government is indeed coordinating with the US in terms of its China policy. The hawks in the US government, represented by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, hope to completely decouple China and the US, “de-Sinicize” their economy, and even stir up a new cold war, so as to extend the conflicts between China and the US to the field of values and ideology.
“India closely follows the US in its China policy, and has even surpassed the US in some areas. India has taken the initiative to stand at the forefront of the so-called international anti-China campaign to contain and challenge China. China should not only pay close attention to such a tendency, but also resolutely counter it.”
Actually, this itself is loss of face for China, even before the review has started.
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