American college says it wants to expand its own Chinese programmes<\/b>
\nThe University of Michigan on Monday said it would end its contract with China\u2019s controversial Confucius Institute next year.
It said it had decided not to renew the agreement for a third term when the partnership expires in 2019 and Hanban, the Confucius Institute\u2019s Chinese headquarters, had been informed.
The Confucius Institute opened on the campus in Ann Arbor in 2009 \u2013 one of more than 500 that have sprung up worldwide since 2004 with a stated aim of promoting Chinese language and culture.
But the institutes, which are funded by Beijing and have links to the Ministry of Education, have come under increasing international scrutiny, accused of promoting China\u2019s world view and trying to spread its political influence and Communist Party propaganda abroad.
These worries have prompted other colleges in the United States \u2013 including the University of Chicago and Pennsylvania State University \u2013 to cut ties with the institute.
Concerns have been raised over its source of funding, teachers and the educational materials used, with the institute criticised for restricting academic freedom and delivering a selective, politicised view of China as a means to advance the country\u2019s soft power.
Most Confucius Institute instructors are sent from mainland China on two-year assignments, their salaries paid by the Chinese government. The programme\u2019s top leadership is dominated by Chinese government officials, including representatives from the propaganda department.
In the US, there has been criticism from lawmakers including Senator Marco Rubio, who says the Confucius Institute\u2019s goal is to exploit America\u2019s academic freedom and instil a pro-China viewpoint.
The academic community has also voiced concerns. In 2014, the American Association of University Professors issued a statement urging colleges in the United States to end their agreements with the institute.
And as tensions mount between the two countries over trade and security, the institutes are likely to find themselves under more scrutiny.
But the University of Michigan said the decision was made because it wanted to expand its own China programmes.
\u201cThis transition is driven by a desire to more broadly include the work of exploring and studying Chinese visual and performing arts within University of Michigan\u2019s regular academic and cultural units,\u201d said James Holloway, vice provost for global engagement and interdisciplinary academic affairs.
\u201cToday, University of Michigan has a large and growing portfolio of partnerships with China in research and education, ranging from engineering to science, medicine to management, and health to humanities,\u201d he said.
There were 525 Confucius Institutesestablished in 138 countries and regions at the end of last year. Hanban opened the first one in Seoul, South Korea in 2004 and aims to have 1,000 institutes in operation by 2020.<\/p>\n