OPINION / VIEWPOINT By Yuan Li Published: Feb 25, 2021 05:03 PM
American students practising Chinese calligraphy at the Confucius Institute in San Francisco, US, September 27, 2014. Photo: XinhuaPeople-to-people exchange programs between China and the US, including the Confucius Institute programs, have been targeted by both US Congress and the US administration during the past three years.
According to Edward A. McCord, a professor emeritus of history and international affairs at George Washington University, Confucius Institutes (CIs) are the wrong target for China frustrations. Little or no actual evidence has appeared to support the charges against them. The campaign to push out CIs, however, fails to recognize the value these centers have provided in offering low-cost Chinese language instruction to thousands of young Americans.