{
  "id": 16253533,
  "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",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-23T23:51:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today-freemalays",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/24/pentagon-designates-confucius-institutes-in-us-a-national-security-threat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth declared Confucius Institutes on American university campuses a national security risk, stating these centres aim to steal intellectual property and infiltrate students' minds. Hegseth highlighted the Pentagon's removal of 80 new propaganda cells from 30 universities, all operating under different names and charters but sharing the same goal. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the Pentagon's decision.",
  "summary": "Washington has long accused the Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses of being propaganda tools.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "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",
        "published": "2026-10-24T00:28:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "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"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}