měi guó美国chēng称kǒng zi xué yuàn孔子学院kě néng可能yǐng xiǎng影响guó jiā国家ān quán安全，zhōng guó中国biǎo shì表示fǎn duì反对
U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth announced that the Pentagon considers Confucius Institutes at American universities a national security threat.
Confucius Institutes are supported by China and mainly introduce the Chinese language and culture.
Hegseth said that although the U.S. Congress previously restricted Confucius Institutes, some organizations changed their names and continued operating at universities.
He believes that these organizations might steal research results and could also influence the thinking of American students.
The U.S. government investigated 30 universities and found more than 80 related cooperation projects.
At present, these universities have ended the relevant cooperation.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it opposed unfair criticism of Confucius Institutes.
China believes that educational exchanges between China and the United States can help people in both countries understand each other and benefit both sides, and should not be affected.