Alfred University, in New York, will close its Confucius Institute on campus on June 30, the university’s attorney, Robert Fisher, told Gallagher in a letter obtained by Fox News Digital. In 2022, Alfred University received a five-year, $17 million grant from the Pentagon to research hypersonic weapons.
"Alfred University has decided to close its Confucius Institute as of June 30, 2023. I also note that Alfred University takes intellectual property protection and the export of inappropriate technology very seriously," Fisher wrote in a letter to Gallagher, who is now the head of the Confucius Institute. a US House of Representatives committee on US-China competition.
“While Alfred University does not engage in classified research, it has worked with the Department of Commerce and the FBI for many years to strengthen its export control policies and procedures. Thank you for your attention to this matter and the important oversight role you perform as a member of Congress ,” Fisher wrote in the letter.
Rep. Mike Gallagher recently criticized Alfred University for accepting Pentagon funding while maintaining a Confucius Institute on campus.
Rep. Gallagher (R-N.Y.) first sent a letter to Alfred University asking for an explanation on June 1, saying that China has long used Confucius Institutes to project “soft power” in the U.S. In a statement to Fox News Digital on June 15, Gallagher thanked Alfred University for severing ties with the Confucius Institute.
"I am pleased to see Alfred University finally do the right thing and close the Confucius Institute. But the Confucius Institute is just one tool in China's toolbox, which uses research partnerships, talent programs, and other initiatives to gain access to sensitive research and technologies that advance the Chinese military. We will continue to seek the facts to ensure that no American taxpayer dollars are supporting research partnerships that China can exploit for its own purposes," Gallagher said in a statement.
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Gallagher’s letter is part of a broader effort against Confucius Institutes across the United States. The most recent National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) passed by Congress includes a provision that disqualifies schools from receiving Defense Department grants if they host Confucius Institutes on campus. That provision goes into effect on October 1.
According to the FBI, China steals up to $600 billion worth of intellectual property each year, and opponents say Confucius Institutes have played a key role in facilitating the theft, according to Fox News Digital.
There is no information yet on China's reaction to Alfred University's move.
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