BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. administration's requirement of the Confucius Institute U.S. Center to register as a foreign mission is nothing short of sheer politicization of educational exchanges between the two countries.
The move came after some Chinese media organizations in the United States had been designated as foreign missions earlier. Driven by a Cold-War mentality, such a detrimental step will further undermine the mutual trust and cooperation between China and the United States.
Inaugurated in 2013, the Confucius Institute U.S. Center is a nonprofit educational institution that supports the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture in the United States for deeper cross-cultural understanding and language development.
All Confucius Institutes in the United States are based on voluntary participation by U.S. universities and jointly established in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, friendly consultation, equality and mutual benefit of Chinese and U.S. universities. The daily operation and management of these Confucius Institutes observe local laws and are transparent.
In disregard of the organization's role in promoting mutual understanding between the two peoples, the U.S. administration has demonized and stigmatized the normal functioning of the Confucius Institute program and has been attempting to create an atmosphere of fear in the field of educational exchanges, only to serve U.S. strategic agenda of containing China.
The U.S. administration has ramped up its attack on Chinese high-tech companies and trade businesses, and now it is stoking ideological confrontation in the educational and cultural sector, another perilous move to decouple the two countries.
Narrowing the opportunities for cultural understanding and mutual learning between the two peoples will lead to the destruction of long-term bilateral relations.
Such hysteria is a warning sign that calls for caution, as selfish and narrow-minded politicians are stealing the future of the China-U.S. relationship. Enditem
