Tag: Confucius Institutes

Commentary: 10 Things to Know About Tim Walz and His Ties to Communist China

American Greatness
Tim Walz

Vice President Kamala Harris’ selection of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her vice presidential candidate seems to be a case of ideological birds of a feather flocking together. In the wake of the selection, Walz has received considerable criticism for his deception and dissembling regarding his military service. He merits equally great criticism for his ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Here are ten things that you did not know about Tim Walz and the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

First, Walz claimed that he was in the PRC during the June 4, 1989, Tiananmen Square Massacre. One of the authors interviewed him in 2014 when he made this statement, and he later repeated the same falsehood to the media. In reality, Walz did not enter China until September 1989, several months after the massacre. He entered China from Hong Kong as part of the WorldTeach program, which was sponsored by the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID). HIID was known for being very pro-PRC and had trained many high-ranking Chinese officials. Later, HIID received many millions of dollars from the PRC.

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Tennessee Senator Blackburn Introduces Sister City Transparency Act

Bradley Vasoli

U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) this week reintroduced the Sister City Transparency Act, a bill aimed toward addressing geostrategic scheming, particularly by China.

“Sister cities” are municipalities that enter into diplomatic relationships with localities abroad to facilitate cultural and economic exchange. But, the senator told The Tennessee Star, China is using these arrangements to advance propaganda and exert political pressure. 

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Biden to Axe Trump Investigations of Secret Foreign Money in Higher Ed, College Groups Say

Just the News

The Biden administration plans to shutter its predecessor’s investigations into undisclosed foreign funding of U.S. colleges and universities, the subject of years of warnings from elected officials, law enforcement and academic freedom groups, according to higher education lobbyists.

The commitment was recorded in an August letter from a higher ed lobbyist recapping a June 23 virtual briefing by top Department of Education officials for the American Council on Education (ACE) and other university groups, including the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR), which includes medical centers and independent research institutes.

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Taiwan is Trying to Replace China’s Closed Confucius Institutes with Focus on ‘Freedom and Democracy’

Admin
Tea Making Cultural Activity for the Taiwan Mandarin Institute

As dozens of Confucius Institutes close on college campuses, some may be replaced with Taiwan Centers for Mandarin Learning (TCML).

The initiative, known as the TCML Establishment Program, is a part of the U.S.-Taiwan Education Initiative, a memorandum of understanding signed by the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in December of 2020.

Campus Reform previously reported on the threats posed by Confucius Institutes, including ties to the Chinese Community Party (CCP) and intellectual theft.

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Exclusive: Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Put Governors on Notice Because They Are a ‘Point of Influence’ for the Chinese Communist Party

Laura Baigert

FRANKLIN, Tennessee – Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he put the nation’s state governors on notice, in an exclusive interview with The Star News Network on Saturday, because they are a real point of influence for the Chinese Communist Party.

The reason, Pompeo explained, is because it is where so much of the commercial activity takes place.

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Cotton, Rubio Blast Biden over Decision on China’s Confucius Institutes

Admin

Two Republican senators on Tuesday blasted President Joe Biden for withdrawing a proposed rule that would require U.S. schools to disclose their partnerships with Confucius Institutes, which some U.S. officials and lawmakers have alleged serve as front groups for the Chinese Communist Party.

Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, both known as China hawks, criticized Biden on Tuesday following reports that the administration had withdrawn the rule, which the Trump administration proposed to the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Dec. 31.

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Marsha Blackburn Wants to Distance American Universities from China-Funded Confucius Institutes

Chris Butler

U.S. Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee said she wants to minimize Chinese efforts to exert inappropriate influence on American university campuses through Confucius Institutes, which she said repress free speech and discourage transparency.

Blackburn introduced the Transparency for Confucius Institutes Act, which is designed to require program participation agreements between Confucius Institutes and American institutions that house them to address the ways China exerts undue influence.

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