releases: http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397771
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| http://chrissmith.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=397771 | <span class="kicker">Wall Street Journal article on China's influence on US universities</span>China defends Confucius Institute after new doubts in U.S. | 2014-12-04 | 2014 | 2014-12 | Republican | House | NJ | Christopher Smith | S000522 | chrissmith.house.gov | legacy | China defended its relationship with U.S. universities on Friday after critics of Beijing told a panel of U.S. lawmakers that those growing ties challenge their commitment to academic freedom. The hearing held Thursday by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) – who has held a number of hearings on China’s human-right practices — took a critical look at the increasing ties between U.S. universities and Chinese schools, including Chinese-funded language and culture institutes at U.S. campuses as well as U.S. satellite campuses on the Chinese mainland. “The formation of partnerships with Chinese universities has far outpaced the development of procedures and mechanisms for the monitoring and protection of academic freedom on American campuses,” Thomas Cushman, a sociology professor at Wellesley College, told lawmakers Thursday. Much of the focus has been on Confucius Institutes, which are funded by a Chinese government organization and have locations at nearly 100 U.S. universities, school districts and elsewhere. The institutes have come under scrutiny at a number of schools. China’s Foreign Ministry lashed back Friday, saying that the institutes weren’t being forced on U.S. institutions. “All Confucius Institutes in the U.S. are there because they were applied for by U.S. universities of their own will,” spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily news briefing. She added, “we have assisted with supplying teachers and textbooks at the request of the U.S. side but have never interfered with academic freedom.” The greater ties reflect both rising interest in China, its language and its culture at the same time that Beijing is seeking to build up its soft power – the kind the U.S. wields through everything from its pop songs and TV shows to its long history of taking foreign-exchange students. Many U.S. universities — such as New York University – have expanded partnerships with China, opening campuses there to attract local talent. Mr. Cushman is among a number of Wellesley faculty members who have called into question a cooperation between Wellesley and a top Chinese school that dismissed a professor after he expressed negative views of the Chinese government. Perry Link, a professor at the University of California, Riverside, urged the U.S. to fund more of its own China-focused programs. He also pushed U.S. universities to set broader, clearer academic agendas and demand to include Tibet and democracy in lessons when cooperating with China. The issue isn’t like to die down soon. Rep. Smith said he is calling for a government probe of academic agreements U.S. universities have made with China. – Laurie Burkitt. Follow her on Twitter @lburkitt This story can be found at: http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/12/05/china-says-its-never-interfered-with-u-s-academic-freedom/ | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |