First US Confucius Institute turns 13

The Confucius Institute (CI) at the University of Maryland, the first Confucius Institute in the US, hosted its 13th anniversary of operations on March 28 in College Park.

Representatives from the Maryland state Senate, governor's office, local CI recipient schools, CI students and parents attended the celebration to show their support and appreciation for the CI's ongoing contributions to US-China cultural exchange.

Maryland Senator Susan Lee's representative Judge Chung Park expressed Lee's recognition of the work of Donna Wiseman and Jianxin Cui, director and deputy director of CI at the university.

In his remarks, Park stressed that Wiseman and Cui's work to promote understanding between different cultures and languages "can make our country better".

"I think it's great that our cultures learn about each other," said Kathleen Connor, district director for Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, referring to CI's mission of promoting Chinese language and culture.

Shawn Eum, a policy adviser in the governor's office, also offered support from the governor and presented citations to Wiseman and Cui.

"Being able to know Chinese and English plays a key role not only internationally but even domestically," said Eum. "It really empowers individuals. I know for the governor's office, we are always looking for talented young minds who know more than one language."

Recently, CIs across the country have been facing criticism from US politicians and scholars, who accuse the centers of operating as tools of Chinese propaganda and China's foreign influence operations in the US.

Several US lawmakers have publicly urged CI recipient universities in their states to reconsider or terminate the relationships, including Republican senators Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, as well as Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts.

"We are not a tool of the Chinese government," said Rebecca McGinnis, coordinator at CI at the University of Maryland, in response to the allegations.

"Several times over the past years we have been criticized for being subjects of propaganda. We simply have to say, OK, you voice your opinion, but we feel that this relationship with China is providing opportunities for language-learning and cultural understanding, which is supremely important," McGinnis said.

Sandra Suber, assistant principal at Centennial High School in Howard County, Maryland, lamented the recent widespread skepticism.

"If the Confucius programs are not allowed to continue, we will deprive our students of some wonderful educational opportunities," Suber said.

Patrick McCarthy, world and classical language department chair at Meade High School in Anne Arundel County, Maryland, expressed the same disappointment.

"It has all been about what can we do for the students,"he said.

A lot of the criticism targets the CI curriculum and textbooks that come from Hanban, the Confucius Institute headquarters, which is a public institution affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Education.

Yian Ke in Washington contributed to this story.

leshuodong@chinadailyusa.com