World

US Defense Department designates China’s Confucius Institutes a national security threat

WASHINGTON: The US Defense Department has designated Chinese-funded cultural centers on university campuses known as Confucius Institutes as a threat to US national security, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday. Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of being Chinese propaganda tools and has taken steps to crack down on them. Hegseth, in a video posted on social media, alleged that Confucius Institutes were continuing to operate under disguise at American universities and tha