In brief
Hegseth says 80 new propaganda cells operate at 30 US universities under different names and charters, with the aim of stealing intellectual property and influencing American students.
Hegseth says the defense department systematically dismantled every one of these organizations in the two months to 23 October, without naming the universities or groups.
Hegseth says Congress banned the Confucius Institutes several years ago and that they returned in a new form.
Trump has praised his 'very good relationship' with Xi Jinping, and the two leaders met in Washington in September and agreed to meet again this year.
- September 2026Trump and Xi Jinping hold a summit in Washington covering AI, trade and the war in Iran
- 23 OctHegseth posts a video on X calling Confucius Institutes a national security threat
The announcement
On Friday, 23 October, US defense secretary Pete Hegseth posted a video on X describing Confucius Institutes on American campuses as a threat to national security. He said the Pentagon had added them to its list of institutions that endanger US national security. In his account, Congress had barred the institutes several years earlier, yet they reappeared in a new form. Hegseth said the operations surfaced at 30 universities, where they ran under changed names and charters. He also said the defense department had systematically dismantled every one of these groups in the two months to 23 October.
Hegseth framed the claim around the scale of the network.
“It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had popped up using different names and different charters.”
- Propaganda cells
- 80 count
- Universities
- 30 count
Data from the article text
Claims without published detail
Hegseth's video did not name the universities, the groups involved or the specific measures applied to each one. The statement gave no list of the affected institutions, so the figures of 80 cells and 30 universities cannot be checked against a published roster. No detailed evidence that could be verified independently accompanied the charges. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Beijing has rejected accusations that the institutes carry out propaganda for the Chinese Communist government.
Background of the dispute
Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of being tools of Chinese propaganda, and US authorities have previously taken steps to limit their activity on university campuses. The institutes operate under a Chinese government agency and set up delegations directly in schools and campuses abroad to teach Mandarin and Chinese culture. Chinese authorities have supplied teachers, teaching materials and generous funding, and many institutes have partnership agreements with the universities that host them. The institutes also run in Portugal, where Mandarin courses are offered at five universities: Porto, Aveiro, Coimbra, Lisbon and Minho. Delegations exist as well at universities in Brazil, Angola and Mozambique, and at the universities of São Tomé and Príncipe and Cabo Verde.
Washington and Beijing's leaders
US president Donald Trump has repeatedly praised what he calls a 'very good relationship' with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The two leaders met at a summit in Washington in September, where they discussed artificial intelligence, trade and the war in Iran. They confirmed that they will meet again this year. The Pentagon is stepping up its action against organizations it links to China's strategic interests, even as the leaders keep their channel open.