{
  "id": 16252995,
  "title": "Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes in US a national security threat",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/pentagon-designates-confucius-institutes-in-us-a-national-security",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-24T00:28:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/10/1562344/pentagon-designates-confucius-institutes-us-national-security-threat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The United States Department of Defense has labeled Chinese-funded cultural centers on university campuses, known as Confucius Institutes, as a threat to American national security, announced Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday. The Pentagon has accused these institutes of operating as Chinese propaganda tools, aiming to steal intellectual property and manipulate American students.\n\nHegseth made these allegations in a video shared on social media, claiming that Confucius Institutes were covertly present at US universities under various names and charters, all sharing the same mission. According to him, the Department of Defense has systematically eliminated each of these organizations over the past two months.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in Washington has not yet commented on the Pentagon's decision.",
  "summary": "WASHINGTON: The US Defence Department has designated Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses known as Confucius Institutes as a threat to US national security, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 6,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes in US a national security threat",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/23/pentagon-designates-confucius-institutes-in-us-a-national-security",
        "published": "2026-10-23T23:51:45.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Guardian US",
        "title": "Pentagon designates China-backed campus cultural centers a threat to US national security",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/pentagon-designates-china-backed-campus-cultural-centers-a-threat-to",
        "published": "2026-10-24T01:21:26.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Pentagon designates China-funded Confucius Institutes as US national security threat",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/pentagon-designates-china-funded-confucius-institutes-as-us-national",
        "published": "2026-10-24T01:27:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/pentagon-designates-confucius-institutes-a-national-security-threat",
        "published": "2026-10-24T03:38:20.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Malay Mail",
        "title": "Pentagon puts China-funded Confucius Institutes on US security threat list",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/24/pentagon-puts-china-funded-confucius-institutes-on-us-security-threat",
        "published": "2026-10-24T04:50:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}