โSystematically dismantledโ: Hegsethโs new offensive against Chinaโs Confucius Institutes
Just weeks before Donald Trumpโs second trip to China this year and his third meeting with President Xi Jinping, whom he has called a โtruly greatโ friend, his administration is intensifying its crackdown on Confucius Institutes โ Beijing-backed centres that promote Chinese language and culture at universities abroad. Long viewed by critics as instruments of Beijingโs soft power and cultural diplomacy, the institutes are back in the crosshairs of US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who says the...