I don’t always agree with Alex Lo. A bit too much of a leftie-style US-basher for me. But I think he’s correct here in the South China Morning Post, about China’s Confucius Institutes, from what I’ve read and seen of them with mine own eyes. They’re pretty much focussed on teaching Chinese language, grammar, calligraphy, Tang Poetry, tai qi, Chinese cooking and the like.
They are (mostly) what they say they are. I say “mostly” because it wouldn’t surprise me, and ought surprise no one, if they put a pro-China spin on things from time to time. A bit like you’d expect the British Council or American Institutes to do.
Many universities and schools may be wary of the political attention, but most realise the institutes are harmless and deliver clear cultural and learning benefits. Despite the often sensational news reports about the shutting down of a few Confucius Institutes, the global closure rate is less than 3 per cent. Confucius Institutes fall victim to US politics
