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| Confucius Monument, Rizal Park, Philippines (Image: Wiki Commons) |
By David Volodzko
With the closing of Confucius Institutes, China may be heading for a “soft power” war with the West.
In September 2014, the University of Chicago shut down its Confucius Institute. Penn State closed their Confucius Institute the following month, citing a lack of “transparency and academic freedom.” Then in January of this year, Stockholm University closed theirs as well.
The first Confucius Institute opened its door in November 2004 in Seoul, South Korea. Hanban, or the Chinese National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, which is responsible for the Confucius Institute program as well as the China Bridge competition, gathered speed quickly. In 2006, a new institute was established every four days and Hanban hopes to have 1,000 institutes by 2020.
Much of Asia is already awash with the hallyu cultural references attendant to South Korean soap operas and the lyrical flourishes of its pop music icons. Japan isn’t hurting either. Indeed Japan is arguably the Asian darling of the Western imagination, known and respected for its advanced technology, exquisite cuisine, the stunning efficiency of its cities and the remarkable politeness of its citizens. On the other hand, Chinese products are still associated by many with shoddy quality and the vulgar behavior of Chinese tourists continues to make headlines the world over.
The soft power push isn’t restricted to Asia either. Alliance Française promotes French culture and language while British Council does the same for British culture and English. Counterparts to these include Instituto Cervantes for Spain, Instituto Camões for Portugal, Goethe Institut for Germany, and, of course, Confucius Institute for China. Confucius Institute is operated through the Ministry of Education and, in addition to its academic goals, it wields considerable political power.
Li Changchun was the former Chairman of the Central Guidance Commission for the Building of a Spiritual Civilization, effectively the head of propaganda at the time, and according to the February 2011 Committee on Foreign Relations report “Another U.S. Deficit — China and America — Public Diplomacy in the Age of the Internet,” Li described Confucius Institute as “an important channel to glorify Chinese culture.” He also described it as a “part of China’s foreign propaganda strategy.”
Read the full story at The Diplomat