A Republican bill that could severely restrict partnerships between American and Chinese universities passed the full US House of Representatives with bipartisan support on Wednesday, while policymakers also signalled interest in limits on other possible Chinese threats to US national security.
“It’s been proven that the [Chinese Communist Party] does use programmes like Confucius Institutes not to build bridges or promote culture, as they may say, but to expand their influence inside the United States for malign purposes,” Representative August Pfluger, the Texas Republican who is the bill’s primary sponsor, said on the floor on Wednesday.
Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee, spoke in support of the bill but also warned of its potential overreach.
“House Democrats do not want to see legitimate academic activity between the United States and China hindered,” he said.
