China said on Monday, 26 October 2026, that it opposes the United States' labelling of Confucius Institutes as a threat to US national security, describing the move as smearing and stigmatisation. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the remarks at a regular press briefing in Beijing, after the US Defense Department designated the Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses as a national security threat on Friday, 23 October.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the designation in a video posted on social media on Friday. He alleged that Confucius Institutes had been operating in disguise at US universities and that the Pentagon had added them to its list of institutions that threaten US national security. Hegseth claimed that 80 new organisations across 30 universities had appeared under different names and charters, with what he described as the same mission, and said the Defense Department had systematically dismantled every one of those organisations over the past two months. Those claims are Hegseth's allegations, not findings independently established in the reports checked for this brief.

Beijing's response and the wider dispute

Guo said educational exchanges between China and the United States are mutually beneficial and help deepen mutual understanding, according to Reuters. Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of acting as tools of Chinese propaganda, and has taken steps in recent years to restrict them, including limits tied to US defence funding for universities that hosted them.

What remains unclear from the announcements so far is the precise legal effect of the Pentagon designation, including what funding, partnership or visa consequences, if any, would follow for universities and researchers. The dispute adds another strain to US-China relations, touching education, research partnerships and the broader argument over foreign influence on university campuses in both countries.