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Rishi Sunak Does U-Turn on Banning China’s Confucius Institutes

by Toby Young
18 May 2023 12:35 PM

In last year’s leadership campaign, Rishi Sunak promised to shut down the 30 Chinese ‘cultural institutes’ in the U.K. Now he’s done a reverse ferret. The Telegraph has more.

The Prime Minister promised during last summer’s leadership campaign that he would shut down the 30 Chinese culture institutes in the U.K. as he labelled China the “largest threat to Britain and the world’s security and prosperity this century”.

However, he has now rowed back on that decision in a sign that he is softening his stance on China.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “We are taking action to remove all government funding from Confucius Institutes in the U.K., but currently judge that it would be disproportionate to ban them.

“Like any international body operating in the U.K., Confucius Institutes need to operate transparently and within the law, and with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression.

“We recognise concerns about overseas interference in our higher education sector, including through Confucius Institutes, and regularly assess the risks facing academia.”

The institutes, which are based at universities across the U.K., were set up to deliver culture and language classes to international students.

However, they have been accused of being a front for the Chinese Communist Party to clamp down on critical views on China.

Research published by the U.K.-China Transparency charity earlier this year found that staff at Confucius Institutes are required to “impose state-sponsored discipline” on Chinese students in the U.K.

Last year, the Henry Jackson Society, a pro-democracy think-tank, reported evidence that staff at Confucius Institutes in the U.K. are having their political views and ethnic backgrounds filtered by Chinese officials.

The institutes have been banned in other countries such as Sweden, amid fears they are being used as a front for Chinese espionage. The U.S. has clamped down on Confucius Institutes by restricting funding to any university that hosts them.

Worth reading in full.

Stop Press: Allison Pearson in the Telegraph says that British universities no longer want British students. They’re hooked on Chinese money – one reason Confucius Institutes are unlikely to be banned.

Tags: Confucius InstitutesHenry Jackson SocietyRishi SunakU.K.-China Transparancy

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22 Comments
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transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
2 years ago

If anyone trusts a single word coming out of this man’s mouth, I have a bridge to sell them.

144
0
NeilofWatford
NeilofWatford
2 years ago

Hunt has a Chinese wife.
Multinational globalist big corporations utilise cheap, 10 cents an hour slave labour to drive profits and kill off nations’ indigenous manufacturing. Even the Spear and Jackson garden spade, alkng with everything else on eBay and Amazon is made in China, empowering the CCP.
Ignore the smile, the ‘nice’ best mate face, Sunak is behaving exactly as predicted.

Last edited 2 years ago by NeilofWatford
116
0
LaptopMaestro
LaptopMaestro
2 years ago
Reply to  NeilofWatford

To be fair though, china has the right approach to islamists… millions of organ donors.

18
-31
Nearhorburian
Nearhorburian
2 years ago
Reply to  LaptopMaestro

At least the Uighurs are human.

The Han make me think of giant termites

Last edited 2 years ago by Nearhorburian
7
-1
giantspider
giantspider
2 years ago
Reply to  NeilofWatford

Also don’t forget that Sunak’s wife is owner of Infosys who are involved in developing software for China’s social credit system!

2
0
Bradleyguy
Bradleyguy
2 years ago

Sunak’s actions differ wildly from his words. I always judge a person by their actions. It looks increasingly clear that Sunak can not be trusted. He speak with forked tongue.

104
0
huxleypiggles
huxleypiggles
2 years ago
Reply to  Bradleyguy

I have not trusted Fishy at all from day one. He is at best a two-faced liar and at worst complicit in some of the worst crimes of this century.

53
0
DevonBlueBoy
DevonBlueBoy
2 years ago
Reply to  Bradleyguy

People tend to judge themselves by what they say they will do. Others judge them by what they have actually done.

6
0
Occams Pangolin Pie
Occams Pangolin Pie
2 years ago

Fascinating to see Sunak. As with portraits of inbred ancestors in an old manor house gallery, his eyes seem to follow you and your companions around the room but never seem to alight on any object together and are entirely independent one from the other.
[aka the boss-eyed wazzock effect]
Level of trust inspired 0% before he’s even opened his mouth.

52
-1
NeilParkin
NeilParkin
2 years ago
Reply to  Occams Pangolin Pie

Uptick for ‘boss-eyed wazzock’…

30
0
stewart
stewart
2 years ago

The British Council, our equivalent of the Confuciius Institue, is all over China.

The Chinese would shut down all the British Council operations in China which would be a huge deal.

Maybe that is what we want, but in any case I’m sure Sunak didn’t give much thought to the consequences when he made his promise.

That’s one of the many problems with politicians. They just say what they think will help them and then figure out what to do about it later

24
-1
LaptopMaestro
LaptopMaestro
2 years ago
Reply to  stewart

Let them shut the british council down – more public sector leeches that we won’t have to pay.

30
0
DevonBlueBoy
DevonBlueBoy
2 years ago
Reply to  stewart

The problem is that they don’t “figure out about what to do about it later”. They just move on to another ‘eye catching initiative’. Tony Bliar has a lot to answer for.

7
0
DomH75
DomH75
2 years ago

Money money money! Politicians are behaving like this because they believe they won’t suffer in their lifetimes for these decisions and it’s for our descendants to worry about. As COVID-19 proved, we’re a hair’s breadth from Chinese-style tyranny right now.

49
0
LaptopMaestro
LaptopMaestro
2 years ago

He’s the world bank placeman – he can never be trusted

32
0
DomTaylor
DomTaylor
2 years ago

What a surprise, just like how the ‘Genocide amendment’ got suppressed in the Commons a couple of years ago:https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56170426.

6
0
For a fist full of roubles
For a fist full of roubles
2 years ago

“with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression”!
Is this “us” he is referring to UK? If so it is not a picture I recognise.
The last three years have seen these things systematically destroyed with the lies about Covid, its vaccines, the green agenda, cancel culture, the climate, immigration and I am sure countless other issues.
And he is not even a slick operator – he sounds unsure and amateurish and appears to have a great deficit in the personality stakes. What did we do to deserve our politicians?

16
0
Freddy Boy
Freddy Boy
2 years ago

You can see the imprint of Klaus,s ring piece on his dodgy little face !

9
0
Mogwai
Mogwai
2 years ago
Reply to  Freddy Boy

I just see a masktard in the background. How old is this picture? What flavour of lunacy is this?? 😮

5
0
RTSC
RTSC
2 years ago

Sunak and Hunt are hardly going to do anything which might damage THEIR long-term financial interests are they?

Or is anyone foolish and naive enough to think they are in Government to work in the interests of the British PEOPLE?

15
0
Covid-1984
Covid-1984
2 years ago

Un-elected Sunak is the the UK’s equivalent of the Biden Crime Family and can be bought. Needs removing and deporting immediately.

13
0
SomersetHoops
SomersetHoops
2 years ago

Another example where Sunak has failed our country and its students. Does he still claim that our country is his country – It doesn’t seem like it.

6
0

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