Pentagon designates Confucius Institutes a national security threat

The US Department of Defense has added Confucius Institutes, Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses, to its list of organisations that threaten national security. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said 80 propaganda cells had resurfaced under different names at 30 universities, accusing them of seeking to steal intellectual property and influence American students. He said the Pentagon had dismantled the organisations over the past two months. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.