Tufts University Will Close Controversial Confucius Institute

MEDFORD, MA — Tufts will close its Confucius Institute after six years, the university announced Wednesday. The university's contract with the controversial educational program expires in September and will not be renewed.

The Confucius Institute is a nonprofit educational collaboration between Tufts and Beijing Normal University (BNU) that promotes Chinese language and cultural programming, and facilitates "educational and cultural exchange and cooperation," according to the Tufts University website.

Such Institutes were active on 75 college campuses as of September, but they have fallen under increased scrutiny by critics who have referred to them as "extensions of the Chinese government." Organizers of a rally last fall protesting the Confucius Institute at Tufts University said the programs restrict academic freedom by "silencing debate on human rights and other sensitive issues" and sanitize the Chinese government's human rights record.

"The Chinese Communist Party spends millions annually to fund Confucius Institutes," said U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, an outspoken critic of the program. "China's government does this because it wants a foothold on American college campuses which it uses to bully students, stifle critical thinking, and influence public perception. This action does not happen in isolation. Through its Thousand Talents program, for example, China's government is able to use money to influence research, buy off professors, and even steal intellectual property that Americans fund."

Moulton called Tufts's decision "overdue" but said it is a sign that higher education is "waking up to the threat the Chinese Communist Party poses to colleges and our country."

The university plans to move away from the Confucius Institute in order to foster its relationship with Beijing Normal University, according to a joint statement from James Glaser, dean of the School of Arts and Sciences, and Diana Chigas, senior international officer and associate provost.

"Tufts already has established successful programs with BNU, including the "Tufts in Beijing" study abroad program and, over the past year, an in-person learning option for Tufts students in China, the "Tufts@BNU" program," Glaser and Chigas said. "Our successful and collaborative experience has affirmed our interest in growing our relationship with BNU and exploring potential additional options for both virtual and in-person exchange in Chinese language, culture and other areas."

The Confucius Institute at Tufts will continue to offer programming through the end of the summer.