Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made to close Chinese Confucius Institutes in the UK, if any; and what estimate they have made of how much of the spending on Mandarin teaching at schools has been channelled through Confucius Institutes.

The government is committed to ensuring the UK education sector engages with China in a way that reflects the UK's national security and values and takes account of concerns.

Like all similar bodies, Confucius Institutes should operate transparently and with a full commitment to our values of openness and freedom of expression. As with any international collaboration, education providers have a responsibility to ensure their partnerships with countries overseas are managed appropriately, ensuring the right due diligence is in place. This includes partnerships with Confucius Institutes. The department would encourage any providers with concerns to contact the government.

The government’s flagship Mandarin Excellence Programme for teaching Mandarin in state-funded schools in England is delivered by the University College London Institute of Education. Since 2016, when the programme first launched, approximately £20.4 million, excluding VAT, has been spent on the Mandarin Excellence Programme. Over 75% of this funding has gone directly to schools participating in the programme. The department does not currently monitor the level of funding spent on Mandarin teaching in schools through Confucius Institutes and Confucius Classrooms.

The government continues to keep these arrangements under review.