Tufts University to shutdown China’s Confucius Institute

By Choekyi Lhamo

DHARAMSHALA, Mar. 20: The Tufts University on Wednesday announced closure of its China-funded Confucius Institute (CI) after months of campaign starting from October on the Global Day of Action, which was marked by rights groups against the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 25 countries. The center was launched at Tufts University in 2015 as a program within the School of Arts and Sciences to build cooperation between Tufts and Beijing Normal University (BNU), and to facilitate cultural exchange between the US and China.

One of the organizers, Olo Bayul told Phayul about the campaign spearheaded by Tibetan, Uyghur, Hong Konger and Taiwanese activists, “Together we launched an aggressive, grassroots, multi-faceted campaign to address this issue. It started with a protest at Tufts University on Oct 1 [marking] the Global Day of Action. Then we moved on to weekly protests starting in December. During this period, we lobbied our local city officials. . . On Mar. 11, we had over 600 people send emails to Tufts President [Anthony Monaco] demanding the shutdown of their Confucius Institute.”

The university renewed its contract for two more years with the institute in 2019 but recently announced their decision to close the CI later, “As the expiration of that agreement approaches, we have decided to focus more on our strong and growing direct relationship with BNU. Our relationship with the CITU will conclude when our current agreement expires in September; the CITU will continue to offer programming through the end of the summer.”

SFT Grassroots Coordinator Tenzin Yangzom said in a statement on Wednesday, “This is a victory for all Tibetans, Uyghurs, Hongkongers, Taiwanese, and Chinese activists and students, as well as our allies living in the Somerville and Medford area who have protested the Tufts CI. We refused to accept that the Chinese government — the very regime that has driven us from our homelands — had a home at Tufts, and a presence in our own backyard.” According to SFT, Tufts University marked the 70th American institution to sever its ties with the Confucius Institute since 2014.

The organizers also contacted the Medford City Council where five members responded with support, and further contacted the Tufts administration for the same. Somerville School Committee Member Sarah Phillips, Massachusetts State Representative Erika Utyerhoeven, Somerville City Councilors Ben Ewen-Campen and Will Mbah endorsed the grassroots campaign and attended the Solidarity Protest on March 13 where over 100 people were present.

The grassroots campaign was first launched by the Tibetan Association of Boston and later joined by Students for a Free Tibet (SFT- Boston), Hong Kong Social Action Movements in Boston, Boston Uyghur Association, and the Formosan Association of Public Affairs (Taiwan). Activist groups will conduct the final protest at Tufts on 2^nd April, and also their last “Solidarity Saturday” on 3^rd April outside the Confucius Institute building to celebrate the campaign’s victory. Over the years, CIs have been criticised as the Chinese government’s unofficial propaganda arm that has infiltrated many education systems and organisations around the globe, exerting grassroots pressure on campuses across the globe.