{
  "id": 16255553,
  "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-16255553",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-23T23:51:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Malaysia Today",
    "slug": "free-malaysia-today",
    "url": "https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2026/10/24/pentagon-designates-confucius-institutes-in-us-a-national-security-threat"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Friday that the US Pentagon has designated Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses, known as Confucius Institutes, as a national security threat. Hegseth alleged in a video shared on social media that these institutes were masquerading as legitimate entities on US campuses, with the aim of stealing intellectual property and infiltrating American students' minds. The Pentagon has added 80 new propaganda cells operating across 30 universities to its list of institutions that pose a threat to US national security. Over the past two months, the defence department has systematically dismantled every single one of these organisations. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.",
  "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": 6,
    "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"
      },
      {
        "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."
}