Weeks before President Trump is expected to make his second trip to China within the year, his administration is taking further steps to reel in Chinese influence and abuses.The Department of War has designated Confucius Institutes as national security threats, with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, in a video message, describing them as “Chinese government-backed propaganda.”
The secretary argues the institutes have “infiltrated” American universities “in almost every state,” adding that Congress has already banned them.
The institutes were branded as Chinese language and cultural centers, backed by the Chinese government. It is estimated more than 100 institutes operated at universities at its peak in 2017, according to a congressional report.
Hegseth says the institutes have returned “disguised in new forms,” using a different name.
“The Department of War has taken action to stop this as well; we added these sleeper organizations to our list of institutions that threaten our national security. It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had popped up using different names and different charters, but with the same mission: to steal intellectual property and to infiltrate the minds of American students,” said the secretary.
Hegseth says the Department of War has “systematically dismantled” those organizations.
“Let this be a lesson to any country trying to steal our hard-earned inventions or turn our young people against their own country. We’re done with that. No more and never again. To these universities, I say, just like the Department of War, stay vigilant. Don’t allow these influences to come back in,” the secretary added.
In addition to targeting Confucius Institutes, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced the suspension of “visa-free travel” for Chinese nationals visiting the Northern Mariana Islands, a territory of the U.S.
DHS claims Chinese nationals were exploiting the program, using it as a “hot spot” for Chinese birth tourism and “national security vulnerabilities.”
The program allowed Chinese nationals to visit the islands for up to 14 days without a visa or a consular interview. DHS says the new rule will require Chinese nationals to go through “the same visa process required” for entry into the U.S.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in a statement argued the program allowed for birth tourism, underscoring that “American citizenship is not a travel perk.”
“Protecting American soil means knowing who is coming into our country,” Mullin said. “Visa-free travel to the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands opens the door to Chinese birth tourism and national security threats.”
The announcement comes as Trump is scheduled to visit China in a few weeks to participate in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, which comes on the heels of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington last month.
Trump visited China in May.
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