China’s growing economic influence can be seen in U.S. colleges many of which are hosting Confucius Institutes.

These institutes are Chinese cultural and language centers.  Currently, there are 60 in the U.S. and nearly 400 throughout the world.

The institutes, most of which are initially funded and staffed from China, focus on language instruction.

Some school administrators are concerned hosting a Confucius Institute would be opening the door to potential academic meddling by the Chinese. If instructors can be trained here by individual universities, they reason, why not continue to go that route?

As always, the answer is: Money.

Most U.S. schools are dealing with budget cuts, and the Confucius Institute is a way of offering language instruction without the cost.

And colleges currently hosting an institute, agree it’s working out.

In a Boston.com article, Stan Rosen, who heads the University of Southern California’s East Asian Studies Center, says:  “It’s a very long term strategy to get people to appreciate Chinese culture. They steer away from those kinds of political issues, just to teach straight language. Because they  know this is exactly what critics of China might be looking for.”

Are these language institutes a good idea – or a threat? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Tags: Confucius Institute, Stan Rosen, University of Southern California