On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, MD (R-TN) applauded the House’s passage of legislation that seeks to counter the influence of China on American higher education.
Green, the chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said U.S. Rep. August Pfluger’s (R-TX) bill, “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, would help to limit the spread of Chinese propaganda on college campuses.
“I applaud the passage of Chairman Pfluger’s bill to protect our campuses from the propaganda and espionage used by the Chinese Communist Party to infiltrate academia and undermine our sovereignty,” Green said. “Beijing’s sinister ambitions cannot be overlooked, excused, or ignored––especially at our institutions of higher education and research. I urge the Senate to take up and pass this crucial bill to protect American innovation and rightly restrict federal funding to colleges or universities that maintain any links with CCP.”
The legislation would restrict DHS funding to any institution of higher education that has a relations with a Chinese entity of concern or Confucius Institute – a cultural institute directly or indirectly funded by the Chinese government. Green and Pfluger said the Chinese government uses Confucius Institutes and similar programs to spread propaganda, steal intellectual property and research from universities, recruit spies and conduct surveillance within the U.S., as well as harass China dissidents.
“The Chinese Community Party is utilizing 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,” Pfluger said. “This bill protects students and universities while ensuring that American dollars are not enabling foreign malign influence.”