2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This resolution calls on Utah's institutions of higher education to close their Confucius
12 institutes and disclose certain information related to Confucius institutes to the
13 Legislature.
14 Highlighted Provisions:
15 This resolution:
16 ▸ describes the history, purpose, and breadth of Confucius institutes at United States
17 institutions of higher education;
18 ▸ describes concerns that government agencies and associations of scholars have
19 regarding China's use of Confucius institutes to spread propaganda;
20 ▸ commends Utah's institutions of higher education that have closed their Confucius
21 institutes; and
22 ▸ calls on Utah's institutions of higher education that have Confucius institutes to:
23 • disclose information about the institutes, including contracts between the
24 institution and China; and
25 • close their Confucius institutes.
26 Special Clauses:
27 None
28
29 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
30 WHEREAS, since 2004, Confucius institutes at United States institutions of higher
31 education have offered a combination of Mandarin language classes, cultural programming,
32 and outreach to kindergarten through grade 12 schools and communities more broadly;
33 WHEREAS, Confucius institutes are staffed in part with visiting teachers from China
34 and are partially funded by the People's Republic of China government, under guidance from
35 the Chinese Communist Party's United Front Work Department;
36 WHEREAS, as of August 2020, there were 75 Confucius institutes operating in the
37 United States, of which 65 were active on United States university campuses;
38 WHEREAS, the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
39 found that the Confucius institute program is run by the Chinese government through the
40 Ministry of Education's Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban);
41 WHEREAS, the United States Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations
42 found that each United States university with a Confucius institute signs a contract with
43 Hanban establishing the terms of hosting the institute, and those contracts generally contain
44 provisions that:
45 ▸ both United States and Chinese laws apply to the contract;
46 ▸ limit public disclosure of the contract; and
47 ▸ state that the Chinese director and teachers must "conscientiously safeguard
48 national interests";
49 WHEREAS, in August 2020, the United States Department of State designated the
50 Confucius Institute United States Center, which is the de facto headquarters of the Confucius
51 institute network, as a foreign mission of the People's Republic of China and has stated that
52 Confucius institutes "push out skewed Chinese language and cultural training for United States
53 students as part of Beijing's multifaceted propaganda efforts";
54 WHEREAS, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Counterintelligence
55 Divisions has warned of China's efforts to conduct espionage through Confucius institutes;
56 WHEREAS, the American Association of University Professors has decried the threat
57 that Confucius institutes place on academic freedom;
58 WHEREAS, the National Association of Scholars has stated that Confucius institutes,
59 "avoid Chinese political history and human rights abuses, portray Taiwan and Tibet as
60 undisputed territories of China, and educate a generation of American students with selective
61 knowledge of a major country";
62 WHEREAS, in 2010, China's then Minister of Propaganda reportedly described the
63 country's foreign activity goal in the People's Daily, the largest newspaper group in China, as:
64 "Coordinate the efforts of overseas and domestic propaganda, further create a favorable
65 international environment for us... With regard to key issues that influence our sovereignty and
66 safety, we should actively carry out international propaganda battles against issues such as
67 Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, Human Rights, and Falun Gong. Our strategy is to pro-actively take
68 our culture abroad...[w]e should do well in establishing and operating overseas cultural centers
69 and Confucius institutes";
70 WHEREAS, since 2014, 45 American universities in 30 different states have already
71 closed their Confucius institutes;
72 WHEREAS, several Utah institutions of higher education have Confucius institutes;
73 and
74 WHEREAS, it is essential that students in Utah's higher education system have access
75 to language and cultural offerings free from manipulation of the Chinese Communist Party and
76 its proxies:
77 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah
78 commends Utah institutions of higher education that have closed or are in the process of
79 closing Confucius institutes on their campuses.
80 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature strongly encourages institutions of
81 higher education in the state with Confucius institutes to close the institutes before December
82 1, 2022.
83 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature discourages Utah institutions of
84 higher education that do not have Confucius institutes from pursuing relationships with the
85 Chinese Communist Party or opening Confucius institutes.
86 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature requests that each institution of
87 higher education with a Confucius institute disclose to the Legislature the contract for the
88 institutes and any efforts by the institute to influence events hosted by the higher education
89 institution related to issues that may be deemed sensitive to the Chinese Communist Party,
90 such as events that are critical of Chinese Communist Party policies towards Taiwan, the
91 Uyghur minority, Hong Kong, Tibet, or repression of other ethnic and religious minorities.
92 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Utah Board
93 of Higher Education and each degree-granting institution that is part of the Utah system of
94 higher education.