Democrats fail to combat Chinese regime challenges on American higher education: Republican lawmakers

As China reportedly continues its enduring influence over American higher education, it seeks to rebrand its Confucius Institutes in U.S universities. However, Democrats refuse to be tougher against the regime in order to counter its infiltration.

“With Joe Biden at the White House we’re watching… their Confucius Institute, and the threats they pose [including] spying on college campuses, malign influence on American universities through Confucius Institutes have come back with different names,” Rep. Jim Banks (R.Ohio), recently spoke to the “Capitol Report ” program of NTD, an affiliate company of The Epoch Times.

” The threat remains. It’s actually growing, because the US government isn’t turning a blindeye to it, but they are welcoming Chinese malign influence into the United States,” Banks stated.

” For the first time, President Trump took China’s threat seriously. He said that Donald Trump had seen almost all Confucius Institutes in America close down.

Rep. Greg Steube, (R-Fla.), echoed his view , stating that “You won’t see anything by the Democrats come against China .”

Steube attributed the inaction by Democrats regarding this foreign threat, to the compromise made by the Biden family (CCP)

” The Chinese Communist Party has compromised the Biden family, as they gave billions to Hunter and his companies,” Steube stated.

Entities connected to Hunter Biden in 2017 and 2018 received millions from Chinese energy giant CEFC China Energy and firms tied to the company, according to bank records revealed by senators in March.

” The Democrats on the opposite side of the aisle recognize that China poses a threat but they are unwilling to accept them politically,” Steube said.

Banks call “the rise in Chinese malign influence within the United States is shameful .”

The Epoch Times reached out to President Obama for comment.

Incarnation of Confucius Institutes

The report was written by “ After Confucius Institutes. China’s Persistent Influence on American Higher Education ,” Rochelle. She revealed the CCP-supported group being repopulated in an Interview With NTD.

” We thought that [CIs] were dead in America. Peterson stated that they have been reincarnated under many new names.

“The problem still exists. She added that the problem has been renamed, making it much more difficult to trace.”

Out of the 118 CIs in the United States, about 105 have closed or announced closures. However, at least 38 colleges have replaced their closed CI programs with similar alternatives, according to the report by the National Association of Scholars (NAS), a conservative research and advocacy organization.

Peterson stated that the group offers Chinese language programs and culture under the new name. However, it is still Chinese culture, as approved by Chinese Communist Party .”

This excludes the subjects of ethnic minorities and religious minorities as well as Tiananmen Square massacre and Taiwan’s status.

” “It’s all the Chinese government wants you to know about China, and nothing more,” she stressed.

Peterson also highlighted the strategic goal that guides the operations of American institutions.

” The goal is to get the attention of American youth, to make them feel good about the Chinese government and the Chinese Communist Party and to encourage them to follow the Chinese Communist Party’s path,” she stated.

“It’s also an opportunity to establish a presence on college campuses and monitor students from China, as well as keep an eye out for research at the university and the development of technology.

Countermeasures

Steube referred to the Protecting Higher Education from Foreign Threats Act, which he introduced back in March 2021 as a tool to push back the threat posed by the Chinese regime.

The bill is cosponsored by seven Republican legislators. It seeks to prohibit the Federal funding of institutions of higher learning that have instructors paid by the Chinese Communist Party .”

” The only way to make [U.S. higher-education and research institutions] compliant with federal regulations is to try to remove the resources that they receive from the federal government,” said he.

Peterson also shared this view. He said, “The U.S. should consider taxing Chinese gifts to universities and colleges, or limiting the amount they can receive from Chinese source before jeopardizing their eligibility for federal funding .”

In her view, these kinds of aggressive policies would “wean colleges or universities away from Chinese government funding and protect students against the types of propaganda that China is spreading .”

Banks suggested better supervision, stronger guardrails and accountability for universities that turn a blind ear to these threats.

“We need to have better safeguards about how research in America is funded and who participates in it, and we also need to hold people accountable,” Banks stated. “Male CCP influence on colleges in America continues to be widespread .”

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