A controversial China-affiliated program has spread to campuses across the U.S., with many university leaders stressing the positives and saying they don’t want to miss out on the benefits.
The Confucius Institute, whose stated mission is to promote understanding of Chinese language and culture, has been attacked as a propaganda tool that could lead to self-censorship by universities fearful of jeopardizing China’s generosity.
In interviews, CI directors have denied that the program forbids such sensitive topics as Taiwan, Tibet and dissidents, although a couple of disturbing-sounding incidents have been reported at non-U.S. universities. Some university officials say they can use the program, which provides funding and partners them with universities in China, to achieve their own goals. They say it can be a boon as universities prepare students for a world in which China is a dominant player, but must accomplish that with ever-tighter budgets. Some U.S. universities are exploring collaborating with CI partners in fields such as food science and water issues.
Dr. Nancy Romig, associate director of Michigan State University’s CI program, one of the oldest and most well-established, says growing and developing a CI program is a long process. “You have to be patient and think outside of the box,” she says.
“There has never been any case whatsoever of Hanban [the agency operating the Confucius Institute] trying to censor or control what we’re saying,” she says. “There’s nothing like ‘You need to do this, you need to do that.’” Hanban, or the Office of Chinese Language Council International, which is affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education, launched the Confucius Institute program in 2004.
The CI program — named after the ancient Chinese philosopher whose ideas were discredited, then revived by the Chinese government — began to surge after President Hu Jintao said in 2007 that China must use its culture to exert “soft power.”
The program’s stated aim is to promote understanding of China’s culture and Mandarin, the official language, and contribute to “the development of multiculturalism and the building of a harmonious world.”
