Confucius Institutes (CIs) are Chinese governmentsponsored organizations offering Chinese-language, cultural, and historical programming at the primary, secondary, and university levels worldwide. CIs arealso a key element in China’s “united front,” a network of groups and key individuals that seek to co-opt and neutralize sources of potential opposition to the policies and legitimacy of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).1 CIs further serve as platforms thatadvance facets of China’s military-civil fusion (MCF),a national strategy aimed at acquiring the world’scutting-edge technologies — including through theft— to achieve Chinese military dominance.2 China’sCI-enabled initiatives include the establishment ofacademic and research partnerships between toptierAmerican institutions and Chinese universitiessupporting Beijing’s military-industrial complex.