The US Defense Department has designated Chinese-funded campus cultural centers known as Confucius Institutes as a threat to US national security, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday, October 23. According to the Guardian, Hegseth made the announcement in a video posted on social media. The Pentagon threat designation is the central claim of the report.
According to the Straits Times, Hegseth said the Pentagon had added Confucius Institutes to its list of institutions that threaten US national security. Hegseth alleged that the centers were operating under disguise at US universities.
Hegseth also made several specific claims. According to the Straits Times, he alleged that 80 new propaganda cells had appeared across 30 universities, using different names and charters, with the same mission to steal intellectual property and infiltrate the minds of American students. According to the Guardian, he said the defense department had systematically dismantled every one of these organizations over the past two months.
These claims have not been independently confirmed. Neither outlet cited Pentagon documentation or independent verification for the figures on cells, universities or dismantling. The reports did not describe how the dismantling was carried out or what legal effect the designation has.
The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the Straits Times.
Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of being tools of Chinese propaganda and has taken steps to crack down on them. The designation announced by Hegseth adds to that position, though the reports present his statements as his own allegations.
The key facts in this story rely on two outlets, the Guardian and the Straits Times, and both appear to be based on wire reporting. No independent reporting or accounts from universities were available, and no university responses were included.
The sources give no timeline for further Pentagon action or for responses from universities. A further response from the Chinese embassy or the Chinese government is still pending.
Sources
This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.