The new U.S. visa regulations embarrass Confucius Institute teachers, and the unilateral suspension is confusing

The new U.S. visa regulations embarrass Confucius Institute teachers, and the unilateral suspension is confusing According to the announcement issued by the U.S. State Department on May 17, Kong, who currently holds a J visa in the country...

According to an announcement issued by the U.S. State Department on May 17, Chinese teachers from Confucius Institutes currently holding J visas in the country will have to leave the country on June 30. The United States said it would not renew their visas; if they wish, they can return to China and apply for appropriate exchange program visas. All walks of life in the United States are generally shocked, confused and puzzled by this. The American Higher Education News website published an article on the 21st stating that this directive will disrupt the teaching activities of the Confucius Institute. On the 20th, the heads of Hanban and the Confucius Institute Headquarters in China sent a letter to the presidents of American universities that have opened Confucius Institutes, pointing out that China respects the laws and regulations of the United States, but is unwilling to see the consequences of interrupting volunteer programs. Otherwise, the Chinese language courses that are currently booming in the United States will die due to the lack of teachers, causing these schools and students to suffer losses. On the 23rd, the head of the Confucius Institute Headquarters wrote to a reporter from the Chronicle of Higher Education in the United States, expressing high concern about the statement in the announcement about the U.S. State Department’s review of the qualification certification of Confucius Institutes. "I am very concerned about the impact of this statement on the agreement between U.S. educational institutions, Hanban and Chinese universities to jointly host Confucius Institutes."

The unilateral "call to stop" is confusing. This announcement signed by the U.S. State Department has been sent to Confucius Institutes across the United States, claiming that although Confucius Institutes may be beneficial to promoting cultural exchanges, the activities they engage in must comply with correct communication norms and comply with relevant regulations. Professors, research scholars, short-term visiting scholars, or students from colleges and universities are not allowed to teach in public and private elementary and middle schools, otherwise it will be contrary to the regulations on exchange visit programs; Chinese courses can only be arranged in accredited institutions above secondary schools; and professors holding J1 visas can only teach in the foreign language departments of these institutions. The J1 visa is a non-immigrant visa issued to foreign nationals coming to the United States to participate in the Exchange Visitor Program approved by the U.S. Department of State. Our reporter learned that at the beginning of this year, US officials conducted an investigation into the situation of J visa holders. The most puzzling thing is that U.S. officials require so-called "certification" of Confucius Institutes. The announcement stated: "Currently, the State Council is reviewing the academic qualifications of Confucius Institutes - Confucius Institutes must apply for U.S. certification before they can teach at their universities." The U.S. side stated that based on the preliminary review results, "there is no clear evidence that these colleges have obtained U.S. certification"; and the reason why U.S. certification is needed is to ensure that education meets and maintains relevant established standards. An insider told reporters that the Confucius Institute itself does not count credits and does not award degrees. In other words, the Confucius Institute does not have the prerequisites for certification; and U.S. officials have so far never stated who the Confucius Institute should be certified to. To compare horizontally, cultural exchange institutions in the United States such as the Goethe Institute in Germany and the Alliance Française in France do not need to obtain U.S. certification. Directors of the Confucius Institute at the University of Maryland and the Confucius Institute at Georgeson University, the first Confucius Institute in the United States, both told reporters that they were confused by this new requirement from U.S. officials and that the schools were discussing and communicating on the matter of "certification."

Political forces continue to smear the announcement and regulations, which are obviously an attack on the Confucius Institutes. Confucius Institutes across the United States said it was "surprising" and "very unusual" and began to discuss how to respond. Public opinion pointed out that people do not understand why the US State Department suddenly issued such regulations, "after all, Confucius Institutes have been on American campuses for nearly 10 years." As the person in charge of Hanban pointed out, the purpose of the Confucius Institute is to help people from all over the world learn Chinese, understand Chinese culture, strengthen education, cultural exchanges and cooperation between China and foreign countries, and enhance friendship between Chinese and foreign people. The Confucius Institute in the United States was established voluntarily by the United States. All assistance provided by the headquarters to the Confucius Institute, including dispatching volunteers, is requested by the United States. Chinese volunteers overcame various difficulties and served actively and enthusiastically, and were widely welcomed by their schools and parents. In the process of cooperating in hosting Confucius Institutes, universities from China and the United States have worked hand in hand and achieved remarkable results, making important contributions to promoting cultural exchanges between China and the United States. Confucius Institutes have been established in more than 350 educational institutions in 106 countries, and the number of Confucius Classrooms in primary and secondary schools has grown even faster, now reaching more than 500. Since the University of Maryland became the first university in the United States to establish a Confucius Institute in cooperation with Nankai University in China at the end of 2004, there have been 81 Confucius Institutes and more than 300 Confucius Classrooms in primary and secondary schools in the United States, of which 127 are classes under the Confucius Institute. However, there are indeed some political forces in American society that have been making unbridled accusations against Confucius Institutes and constantly discrediting the teaching activities of Confucius Institutes. On March 28 this year, when the U.S. Congress’ Select Committee on Foreign Affairs Oversight and Investigation held a hearing on the “Cost of China’s Public Diplomacy,” Congressman Dana Bakker accused China of “propaganda” through private media and public education.

The American public values ​​communication. On the 22nd, University of Virginia professor Germano, doctoral students McGrath and Robinson unanimously stated in an interview with reporters that learning Chinese can help enhance communication and understanding between the people of the United States and China and is of great significance. Teacher Wei Wei from China teaches Chinese courses for grades one to five at Johnton Elementary School in Washington. She told reporters that students’ parents very much hope that the school can continue to provide Chinese education, and other teachers in the school are also very cooperative in Chinese teaching because they realize that China’s economy is developing rapidly and Chinese will be a very useful communication tool. Mrs. Luders, the mother of Weiwei's student Liberty, told reporters that there are not many primary and secondary schools offering Chinese courses in the Washington area. She and her husband spent a lot of effort to find an elementary school for their daughter that offers Chinese courses. Mrs. Luders and other parents expressed that the children liked Chinese very much and that Teacher Wei Wei’s teaching level was also very high and they hoped that she could continue teaching in the school. A person in charge of the Confucius Institute at Georgeson University expressed the hope that the new regulations issued by the State Council do not have political considerations. After all, the “100,000 Strong Plan” proposed by U.S. President Obama to send international students to China also encourages American students to learn Chinese. The person in charge of the Confucius Institute Headquarters pointed out that China and the United States have established a "people-to-people exchange mechanism", and the "100,000 Strong Plan" is an important part of it. The Chinese government has given strong support to this. In order to help the implementation of the plan, Hanban sponsored 10,000 American school teachers and students to come to China. And the service providers who helped recruit these 10,000 people were the Chinese teachers who were required by the US State Department to leave the country on June 30! The reporter learned that the presidents of relevant universities in the United States are very disgusted with the announcement signed by the State Council and believe that it interferes with the school's teaching autonomy. They are contacting and negotiating with the State Council. Faced with strong doubts, U.S. State Department officials will go to the University of Maryland on the 23rd to have face-to-face communication with the University of Maryland officials and the heads of the Confucius Institute.