University to cut ties with Chinese Confucius Institute after GOP scrutiny on $17M DOD grant

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A U.S. university will cut ties with the Chinese Confucius Institute following scrutiny from Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., over a Pentagon grant to the school for researching advanced weaponry.

Alfred University will close the Confucius Institute on its campus by June 30, a lawyer for the school told Gallagher in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. Alfred had received a five-year grant worth $17 million to study hypersonic weapons in 2022.

"Alfred University has decided to close the Confucius Institute as of June 30, 2023. I also note that Alfred University takes very seriously the issue of protecting intellectual property and improper technology export," wrote Robert Fisher, a lawyer for the university, in the letter to Gallagher. 

"Even though Alfred University does not engage in classified research, it has for multiple years engaged with the Department of Commerce and the FBI to strengthen its export control policies and processes. Thank you for attention to this matter and the important oversight function you fill as a member of Congress," he added.

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Rep. Mike Gallagher blasted Alfred University for receiving Pentagon grants while still maintaining a China-backed Confucius Institute on campus. (Fox News Digital/Jon Michael Raasch)

Gallagher first sent a letter to the university demanding answers on June 1, stating that China has long used Confucius Institutes to project "soft power" in the U.S. He thanked Alfred for cutting off the institute in a Thursday statement to Fox News Digital.

"I’m glad to see Alfred University finally doing the right thing and shutting down its Confucius Institute. But the Confucius Institute is only one tool in the CCP’s toolbox—it will use research partnerships, talent programs, and other initiatives to gain access to sensitive research and technologies that fuel the PLA’s advancement. We’re going to continue to dig into the facts to make sure that no American taxpayer dollars are supporting research partnerships that the CCP can exploit for its own purposes," Gallagher said.

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The Pentagon had awarded a $17 million grant to Alfred University, which had ties to China through its Confucius Institute. (Daniel Slim/AFP via Getty Images)

Gallagher's letter came as part of a wider push against Confucius Institutes across the country. Congress' most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a stipulation that disqualified schools from Defense Department grants if they had a Confucius Institute on campus. That rule goes into effect on Oct. 1.

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The FBI says China steals up to $600 billion worth of U.S. intellectual property every year, and critics say the Confucius Institutes have played a major role in facilitating the theft.

"You know, China continues to steal our intellectual property. They continue to steal our patents. They manipulate their currency. We believe they have a big footprint in academia with a massive spy ring within our research universities where they continue to steal our hard-earned research and development," House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., said earlier this year.