A growing wave of China influence concerns resurfaced this week after President Donald Trump defended his surprise August decision to allow 600,000 Chinese students to attend U.S. universities—a sharp reversal from his earlier pledge to “aggressively revoke” visas amid national-security fears. Trump framed the shift as an economic calculation, telling Fox News’s Laura Ingraham, “It’s not that I want them, but I view it as a business,” adding he did not want to “destroy our entire university and college system.”
The policy pivot comes as Chinese influence operations evolve rather than retreat. Confucius Institutes once operated at 118 U.S. campuses until federal pressure forced closures in 2021. Yet their structures have quietly resurfaced through rebranded partnerships and the growing presence of Chinese Student and Scholar Associations, which Republican senators warned in 2023 serve Beijing’s “United Front” efforts.
Universities also maintain lucrative satellite campuses in China, including partnerships with Shanghai Jiao Tong University—whose cybersecurity program is “located on a PLA information engineering base in Shanghai,” according to congressional testimony.
China’s reach is extending into K-12 schools as well. Confucius Classrooms have reappeared under new names, shielded from disclosure rules that govern universities. Meanwhile, the Hong Kong–owned Spring Education Group has purchased U.S. private schools, prompting a Florida investigation and the suspension of four campuses over Chinese Communist Party ties. Gov. Ron DeSantis warned, “We will not put up with any attempt to influence students with a Communist ideology.”
Concerns sharpened after Primavera Holdings—the owner of Spring Education Group—previously controlled Tutor.com, which works with the U.S. military. Sen. Tom Cotton cautioned that Chinese law forces companies to provide data to Beijing, raising risks for American families.
As Chinese entities expand their educational footprint, lawmakers warn the United States may face unprecedented China influence across its schools, universities, and youth culture.
