US Defense Secretary Hegseth escalates crackdown on China's Confucius Institutes ahead of Trump-Xi meeting

The Trump administration is intensifying its campaign against Confucius Institutes, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth leading a new offensive to systematically dismantle them. This escalation comes just weeks before Trump's planned visit to China and his third meeting with Xi Jinping, despite Trump's warm rhetoric toward Xi. The move signals a potential hardening of US-China policy on soft-power issues, creating tension between diplomatic engagement and domestic political pressure.

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