Global Courant
An American university will sever ties with China’s Confucius Institute after Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., on a Pentagon grant to the School of Advanced Weapons Research.
Alfred University is closing the Confucius Institute on its campus by June 30, a lawyer for the school told Gallagher in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. Alfred had received a five-year $17 million grant in 2022 to study hypersonic weapons.
“Alfred University has decided to close the Confucius Institute effective June 30, 2023. I also note that Alfred University takes the issue of intellectual property protection and improper technology export very seriously,” wrote Robert Fisher, an attorney for the university, in the letter to Gallagher.
“While Alfred University does not engage in classified research, it has been working with the Department of Commerce and the FBI for several years to strengthen its export control policies and processes. Thank you for your attention to this matter and the important oversight role you fulfill as a member of Congress,” he added.
BILL RESTRICTION OF CHINA-SUPPORTED CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES APPROVED ONCE BY SENATE
Rep. Mike Gallagher slammed Alfred University for receiving Pentagon grants while still maintaining a China-backed Confucius Institute on campus. (Fox News Digital/Jon Michael Raasch)
Gallagher first sent a letter to the university on June 1 asking for answers, stating that China has long used Confucius Institutes to project “soft power” into the US
“It is extremely concerning that $17 million of U.S. taxpayers’ money has been spent funding cutting-edge weapons-related research at a university that is actively collaborating with a Chinese research institution that works closely with the Chinese military,” Gallagher told Fox News Digital earlier this month. . “It is no secret that the CCP uses Confucius Institutes to project soft power, but it is time to shed light on how the CCP is also using these institutions to build Chinese hard power weapons against Americans can be used conflict.
BIDEN’S CIA NOMINATE SAYS AMERICAN COLLEGES SHOULD CUT TIES WITH CHINA-BACKED CONFUCIUS INSTITUTES
The Pentagon had awarded a $17 million grant to Alfred University, which had ties to China through the Confucius Institute. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)
Gallagher’s letter came as part of a wider campaign against Confucius Institutes across the country. Congress’s most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a provision disqualifying schools from Department of Defense grants if they had a Confucius Institute on campus. This rule takes effect on October 1.
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China steals $600 billion worth of US intellectual property every year, according to the FBI, and critics say the Confucius Institutes played a major role in facilitating the theft.
“You know, China keeps stealing our intellectual property. They keep stealing our patents. They manipulate their currency. We believe they have a big footprint in academia with a huge spy ring inside our research universities where they continue to steal our hard — deserved research and development,” said House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer, R-Ky., earlier this year.
Anders Hagstrom is a reporter at Fox News Digital covering national politics and major news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.
