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Only about five Confucius Institutes — China-tied education centers that offer "Chinese language and culture programs on U.S. college campuses," according to Congress's General Accountability Office (GAO) — are still open in the U.S.
Confucius Institutes have been accused of spreading "communist propaganda on college campuses" in service to the Chinese Communist Party and government, as Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley warned in July.
During former President Donald Trump's administration in 2018, Congress "restricted federal funding to schools with institutes; nearly all of the institutes have since closed," the GAO report explained.
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Only about five Confucius Institutes — China-tied education centers that offer "Chinese language and culture programs on U.S. college campuses," according to Congress's General Accountability Office (GAO) — are still open in the U.S. (CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
"The number of Confucius Institutes at U.S. universities and colleges declined since 2019, from about 100 to fewer than five," the report continued.
Over 60% of Confucius Institutes said that the potential loss of funding from the U.S. government over their education activities in the U.S. caused them to shut down. Thirty-two percent of respondents said that "government pressure" influenced their decision to shut down the Chinese cultural centers, with 14% claiming that they were greatly concerned about "reputational cost."
The influence of the Confucius Institute continues to be debated, as Congress' most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a stipulation that disqualified schools from Defense Department grants if they had a Confucius Institute on campus.
Alfred University announced that it would close the Confucius Institute on its campus in June, according to a letter obtained by Fox News Digital that month. The university had received a five-year grant worth $17 million to study hypersonic weapons in 2022.
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The FBI says China steals up to $600 billion worth of U.S. intellectual property every year, and critics say the Confucius Institutes have played a major role in facilitating the theft. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon - RTX240F5)
"Alfred University has decided to close the Confucius Institute as of June 30, 2023. I also note that Alfred University takes very seriously the issue of protecting intellectual property and improper technology export," wrote Robert Fisher, a lawyer for the university, in the letter to Gallagher.
"Even though Alfred University does not engage in classified research, it has for multiple years engaged with the Department of Commerce and the FBI to strengthen its export control policies and processes. Thank you for attention to this matter and the important oversight function you fill as a member of Congress," he added.
The FBI says China steals up to $600 billion worth of U.S. intellectual property every year, and critics say the Confucius Institutes have played a major role in facilitating the theft.
The Confucius Institute did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Haley Chi-Sing contributed to this report.
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