Primary Taiwanese news agency CNA (The Central News Agency) recently reported that the University of West Florida just released a statement that it would discontinue its contract with China’s Confucius Institute in May when the contract expires. The spokesperson for the university said the school made the decision last fall. The decision was based on a formal review that the university had done. The review process did not receive sufficient positive feedback from the student body. The university has informed its Chinese partners of the decision. Dr. Joseph Nye, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, former Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, and former Dean of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, who initially introduced the concept of “Soft Power,” recently expressed his belief that the Confucius Institute interfered with academic freedom. Chinese President Xi Jinping pointed out in a conference not long ago in January that the Confucius Institute should, “serve the purpose of strengthening national power with the socialist culture and serve the mission of establishing a powerful diplomacy with Chinese characteristics.”
Source: CNA, February 7, 2018
http://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/201802070407-1.aspx