Petition · past parliament · Department for Education
Regulate international educational partnerships to prevent foreign influence
Closed
81 signatures
What the petition asks
We believe the Government should regulate the international educational partnerships that educational institutions are able to enter into, with a view to preventing foreign influence.
There are concerns that some international educational partnerships, such as Confucius Institutes (CIs), funded by the Chinese government and hosted by educational institutions in the name of language teaching & cultural exchanges, result in undue foreign influence.
There are around 30 CIs in UK universities and over 100 Confucius ‘Classrooms’ (CCs) in schools. The Government should regulate these partnerships to protect democratic values, freedom of thought and prevent foreign influence.
There are around 30 CIs in UK universities and over 100 Confucius ‘Classrooms’ (CCs) in schools. The Government should regulate these partnerships to protect democratic values, freedom of thought and prevent foreign influence.
Timeline
| 20 Aug 2020 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 20 Feb 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
81
Status
Closed
Department
Department for Education
Opened
20 Aug 2020
Closed
20 Feb 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.