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.

2026-10-26

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.