Pentagon designates China-backed campus cultural centers a threat to US national security

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the US Defense Department has designated Confucius Institutes, which are Chinese-funded cultural centers on university campuses, as a threat to US national security. According to the New Straits Times and Free Malaysia Today, Hegseth stated in a social media video that these institutes have been operating under disguise.

Hegseth alleged that 80 new propaganda cells had appeared across 30 universities using different names and charters. He claimed these cells share the mission to infiltrate the minds of American students and steal intellectual property. The New Straits Times and Free Malaysia Today both report that the Defense Department has systematically dismantled every one of these organizations over the last two months. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Guardian US, New Straits Times, Free Malaysia Today — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.