US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said 'propaganda cells' on university campuses aim 'to steal intellectual property and infiltrate the minds of American students'. (EPA Images pic)WASHINGTON: The US defence department has designated Chinese-funded cultural centres on university campuses known as Confucius Institutes as a threat to US national security, defence secretary Pete Hegseth said on Friday.
Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of being Chinese propaganda tools and has taken steps to crack down on them.
Hegseth, in a video posted on social media, alleged that Confucius Institutes were operating under disguise at US universities and that the Pentagon had added them to its list of institutions that threaten US national security.
