China-backed Institutes May Face Closure Over New Free Speech Rules

Confucius Institutes at universities across England are under threat from new free speech rules, setting off urgent talks between ministers, vice-chancellors and regulators over the fate of the China-backed language and culture centres.

- Richard Adams

Universities fear the regulations imposed by the Office for Students (OfS) this month will cause legal headaches with their Chinese partners, including the government in Beijing, and could lead to some being closed.

University leaders claim they have been left in the dark by England's regulator over whether they are breaking the new rules, which bar foreign governments from vetting staff employed at the institutes.