Lankford Joins Blackburn to Urge the College Board to Reevaluate Relationship with Chinese Communist Party’s Confucius Institutes

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) urged the CEO of the College Board to reexamine its relationship with the Confucius Institute Headquarters. 

“The National Association of Scholars (NAS) issued a report identifying College Board as a target for the Chinese influence campaign,” the Senators wrote. “This report alleged that the College Board partnered with China to develop the Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese Language and Culture Exam. The report further alleged that College Board helped place Chinese nationals in US schools through the Chinese Guest Teacher Program, a collaboration between College Board and Hanban. We are concerned that the PRC exploits its partnership with College Board to stifle conversation that might undermine the reputation of the CCP.”

The full letter may be found below and here.

Dear Mr. Coleman:

We write to bring your attention to concerns regarding College Board’s relationship with the Confucius Institute Headquarters (Hanban). 

On August 13, 2020, the US Department of State designated the Confucius Institute US Center (CIUS) as a foreign mission of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), thereby recognizing Confucius programming as part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) propaganda apparatus to influence schools in the US.

The designation of CIUS as a foreign mission followed Congress’s efforts to curtail the presence of Confucius programming in American schools. In 2019, a bipartisan Senate investigation found that the PRC prioritized the expansion of Confucius programming in K–12 schools.  Moreover, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (P.L.115-232) specifically prohibits the use of Department of Defense (DoD) funds for Chinese language instruction provided by a Confucius Institute on US college campuses. 

On August 31, 2020, the National Association of Scholars (NAS) issued a report identifying College Board as a target for the Chinese influence campaign. This report alleged that the College Board partnered with China to develop the Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese Language and Culture Exam. The report further alleged that College Board helped place Chinese nationals in US schools through the Chinese Guest Teacher Program, a collaboration between College Board and Hanban. We are concerned that the PRC exploits its partnership with College Board to stifle conversation that might undermine the reputation of the CCP.

As College Board’s relationship with Hanban creates security concerns, please provide a written response to the below inquiries by November 13, 2020;

1. What is Hanban’s role in the Chinese Guest Teacher Program?
2. What is the Chinese government’s involvement in the AP Chinese Language and Culture test? Does the Chinese government have to approve of the test?
3. How much money did the College Board receive from the Hanban or from the Chinese government more broadly?
4. What oversight practices does College Board implement to mitigate the risks of undue foreign influence associated with Hanban?
5. How does College Board screen funding from foreign sources?
6. What contracts, memoranda of understanding, or other agreements did the College Board sign with the Hanban or other Chinese government-backed entities? 
7. Did the College Board receive or use any federal funding in the creation or promotion of Hanban-affiliated programs? 

Thank you for your immediate attention. We look forward to your reply.

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