In a U-turn decision, the UK government is no longer planning to close the country’s 30 Confucius Institutes.
A spokesperson for UK prime minister Rishi Sunak said, “We are taking action to remove all government funding from Confucius Institutes in the UK, but currently judge that it would be disproportionate to ban them.”
“Like any international body operating in the UK, 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 spokesperson said.
