The Pentagon has designated Chinese-funded cultural centers on university campuses, known as Confucius Institutes, as a threat to US national security, defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, according to a report by The Guardian. The Guardian's item was credited to Reuters as its author.
The Guardian reported that Hegseth alleged the Confucius Institutes operate in disguise on US university campuses. The summary of the report does not specify what evidence, if any, accompanied that allegation.
The Guardian also reported that Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of being Chinese propaganda. The summary does not identify which officials made that accusation or when it was first made.
According to the Guardian's summary, the designation treats the centers as a threat to national security. The outlet's headline describes the action as the Pentagon designating China-backed campus cultural centers a threat to US national security. The summary does not describe any obligations the designation places on universities, the department, or other parties.
The Guardian's summary does not describe any earlier or later steps by the defense department on the same question. The available summary ends mid-report and does not include responses from the Chinese government, from universities that host the institutes, or from the defense department beyond the statements described above. Those details were not available for this story.