At its peak, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had 548 Confucius Institutes and 1,193 Confucius Classrooms around the world — until they became regarded as platforms for Chinese espionage and propaganda.
Before then, the CCP’s United Front Work Department was using the institutes to monitor overseas Chinese students and expatriates, suppress freedom of speech, manipulate ideology abroad and facilitate intelligence gathering, as well as promote Chinese propaganda by censoring issues deemed sensitive to the Chinese government.
Beijing was also using the institutes to make opaque financial transactions between local academic institutions, civic groups and politicians, which led to Western countries closing them for the threat they posed to national security. Nonetheless, some institutes have reappeared as Chinese Language Learning Centers, and continue to serve as propaganda arms and recruiters for intelligence gathering.
As Confucius Institutes closed, a network of vocational programs called Luban Workshops started to open. Named after Lu Ban (魯班), a mythical Chinese figure revered as a patron of builders, the workshops were launched to train talent overseas. To expand China’s political space by forming stronger ties with developing countries, the program provides skills and knowledge in areas such as electronics, Chinese medicine, enterprises and cuisine for students in countries taking part in China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
The export model of the Luban Workshops has come to be known as “Confucius Institute 2.0.”
Some differences exist. One is that Confucius Institutes expanded sharply after their launch in 2004. By the end of January 2012, there were institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms worldwide. In contrast, Luban Workshops have expanded more discreetly — only 25 have been founded since 2016.
Another difference is that their focus is not on exporting Chinese propaganda and culture, but to introduce Chinese medicine and Chinese manufacturing business models to developing countries, whereas Confucius Institutes have been concentrated in developed Western countries.
Also, when the Confucius Institutes were established, they were directed by the CCP, while the Luban Workshops are purportedly backed by Tianjin Light Industry Vocational Technical College, which is meant to alleviate concerns of CCP involvement.
However, during meetings with foreign guests, party leaders such as Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) have mentioned Luban Workshops on several occasions, indicating that the program has been approved by the Beijing government.
Luban Workshops might be a result of the CCP learning its lesson after Western countries cracked down on its Confucius Institutes. Based on China’s record of using the institutes to infiltrate nations, Luban Workshops could become new hubs for spreading Chinese propaganda and gathering intelligence.
Western nations are trying to counter China’s influence with a large influx of resources and funds.
The “Chinese models” taught in the workshops could help fuel a totalitarian regime and undermine democracy.
As the global community is monitoring the influence of Confucius Institutes and Luban Workshops, now might be a crucial moment and a good opportunity for Taiwan to step forward to help fill this gap — not only in teaching Mandarin as a global language, but also in facilitating cultural exchanges.
It is up to the government to integrate various resources to fully realize the spirit of “Taiwan Can Help.”
Kung Hsien-tai is director of the ethics department at Taiwan Financial Holdings.
Translated by Rita Wang
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