Ban and shut down Confucius Institutes across the United Kingdom

Rejected 13 signatures

What the petition asks

We demand the government to completely ban and shut down Confucius Institutes across the UK to ensure the personal safety of British nationals, diaspora communities who living in the UK. We also urge the government to formulate policies to protect the freedoms of academic and speech in universities.

Banning Confucius Institutes in the UK, as the Prime Minister called for in June 2022, would help stop Beijing’s propaganda that damages core British values.
Confucius Institutes are a threat to universities' academic and freedom of speech as the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Bill have debated in the House of Commons. Their influence has led universities to restrict students' speech and academic rights.

Why it was rejected

It asked for something that is not the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament.

Universities are autonomous institutions and can choose who they cooperate with, including whether to partner with Chinese Higher Education Institutions or Confucius Institutes. These partnerships are therefore a matter for individual universities, not the Government or House of Commons.

We could accept a petition calling on the Government to regulate international partnerships of higher education institutions, with a view to ensuring these do enable undue foreign influence.

Timeline

19 May 2023	Petition opened for signatures
24 May 2023	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 13

Status Rejected

Rejected 24 May 2023

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