Scottish universities are seeking urgent talks with the UK security minister after he threatened to cancel their controversial Chinese language hubs amid rising tensions with Beijing.
Tom Tugendhat, the new security minister, yesterday reinforced the prime minister’s pledge to close the Confucius Institutes, which have been described as an extension of the Beijing government amid claims they are used to harass, intimidate and spy on Chinese students in the UK.
In the UK there are 26 Confucius Institutes, including five in Scotland, and 92 Confucius Classrooms, of which 12 are in Scotland.
