Refinitiv reported on the 24th that US Defense Secretary Hegseth on the 23rd
labeled Confucius Institutes a "national security threat", accusing them of
operating under alternate names on US campuses to "steal US intellectual
property" and "infiltrate students' thinking". Experts on the 25th said tying
routine language and cultural exchange to national security exposes US double
standards on people-to-people exchanges.