The US Department of Defense has declared Confucius Institutes a national security threat, announced US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
These are cultural centers on university campuses that are funded by China. Such institutes, which Radio Free Europe reported on in early February of this year, exist in all Western Balkan countries except Kosovo, while scholarships and university exchanges are seen as a soft form of influence in the Balkans that China is leading.
Washington has long accused Confucius Institutes of being tools of Russian propaganda and has taken steps against them. Secretary Hegseth, in a video posted on social media, said that Confucius Institutes operate covertly in American universities and that the Pentagon has added them to a list of institutions that threaten the national security of the United States.
"It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells have appeared at 30 universities using different names and different statuses, but with the same mission: to steal intellectual property and infiltrate the minds of American students," Hegseth said.
According to him, the US Department of Defense in the last two months "has systematically dismantled all of these organizations."
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment on the matter.
Confucius Institutes throughout the Western Balkans, except for Kosovo.
There are Confucius Institutes everywhere in the Western Balkans, except for Kosovo, whose independence Beijing does not recognize and therefore has no official representation in Pristina.
Radio Free Europe reported on the influence of these institutes in the Balkans in February of this year.
Serbia stands out as China's most advanced educational partner in the region, with three Confucius Institutes supporting Chinese language learning in dozens of schools. These institutes have been in Serbia for over two decades, and the number of participants has increased several dozen times each year, while educational cooperation has also been strengthened by an agreement that China and Serbia signed in 2018.
There are also Confucius Institutes in Albania. Era Kërnaja, from northern Albania, who is now studying in China, told Radio Free Europe that she had applied for the Chinese language course "for fun," as it was a new language for her.
"I wanted to change the opinion Albanians have about China and tell them not to believe everything they see," said Kërnaja, who has been sharing her experience on her TikTok account since 2023.
Beijing has invested millions of dollars in infrastructure projects and technology partnerships in the Balkans, but has now turned its attention to education, which it sees as a softer channel for shaping young people's perceptions.
This is particularly pronounced among younger generations, who polls show are more open to Beijing's portrayal of itself as a benevolent and responsible power.
The Confucius Institute in Albania, where Kërnaja learned Chinese and received guidance on applying for her scholarship, is one of the most visible channels of educational exchange within the University of Tirana.
This institute describes itself as a "non-governmental, non-profit educational institute," co-organized with Beijing Foreign Studies University, which offers Chinese language lessons and cultural programs. It also offers scholarships and helps students apply at various levels, including to individual universities or at the federal and national levels within China.
Although there are no official Chinese courses in Kosovo, officials at the Confucius Institute in Tirana have stated that they have noticed growing interest from Kosovo students.
"We would very much like to see students from Kosovo learn Chinese," Zheng Baoguo, director of the Confucius Institute in Tirana, told Radio Free Europe, adding that they will try to create "opportunities for them, if they are willing."
Analysts say the educational programs serve a long-term purpose: cultivating personal networks, favorable narratives, and future professionals who have direct experience of China and are willing to share it in their own countries.
This soft power push, according to them, is a complement to China's growing political and economic influence in the Balkans, and serves to advance China's interests.
"Beijing has an interest in sending as many international students and scientists to China as possible," Stefan Vladisavljev, an expert on Beijing's role in the Balkans at the BFPE Foundation, a Belgrade-based think tank, told REL.
"It [China] is trying to position itself as a provider of development [and] being present in Europe is a very important aspect of global outreach," he added.
Confucius Institutes are under increasing scrutiny across Europe, as some governments have closed them down due to concerns about academic freedom and political influence.
But, across much of the Balkans, they are increasingly seen by young people as valuable starting platforms for pursuing economic and educational opportunities./REL
