Work

Partnerships Terminated: An Investigation into German University Choices vis-à-vis Confucius Institutes Between Exit, Voice, Loyalty, and Neglect

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: After an initial “hype” in the years since their inception in 2004 to the early-to-mid-2010s, Confucius Institutes (CIs) are now facing increasing scrutiny for potential undue interference. Consequently, some universities have terminated their CI partnerships. This study identifies the triggers that have led to universities in Germany reconsidering their relationships with CIs and examines two causes behind decisions to terminate such relationships: undue interference and strategic considerations. We focus on five German universities that ended or amended their CI relationships. Based on thirteen interviews, primary data, and secondary sources, we find that terminations were driven more by strategic concerns about the CI's value than direct experiences of undue interference. When a university's termination decision was informed by concerns about undue interference, this most often constituted a precaution in light of a subjectively anticipated undue interference risk, rather than a reaction to an actual, lived experience of undue interference. Decisions were most often triggered by bureaucratic procedures.

Source: Journal of Current Chinese Affairs

DOI: 10.1177/18681026251401218

Authors: Alicja Polakiewicz, Eva Seiwert

Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg

Language: English

Topic: Higher Education Governance and Development

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft