CIA WARNING OF CHINESE FUNDING IN AMERICAN EDUCATION

    FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee last month the bureau is investigating dozens of Confucius Institutes, the Chinese-backed language and cultural centers hosted by more than 100 universities across the country. Despite their broad entrenchment in American academics over the past decade, little is known about the nature of the contracts between Beijing and the host universities—funding amounts and contractual terms are largely kept secret.
    The U.S. intelligence community has warned of the institutes' potential to be used as a spying tool. The concern is particularly pressing at the 13 universities that host both Confucius Institutes and top-secret Pentagon research, including Arizona State, Auburn, Purdue, Stanford, and the University of Washington.
    Wray said "naiveté" in the academic sector has aggravated the risks, accusing the Chinese government of "exploiting the very open research and development environment that we have" on college campuses.