Confucius Institute Headquarters responds to U Maryland decision

The Confucius Institute Headquarters said on Saturday it deeply regrets a decision by the University of Maryland to stop hosting its Confucius Institute.

"We are strongly against politicizing normal bilateral cooperation in education and hope all sides can view Confucius Institutes objectively," the Confucius Institute Headquarters said in a statement provided to China Daily, adding it would take necessary measures to safeguard its rights and interests.

In 2004, the University of Maryland became the first university in the US to host a Confucius Institute.

In 2018, the US Congress enacted the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019. It includes language that prevents organizations that host a Confucius Institute from participating in certain federally funded programs, president of the university Wallace Loh said in a statement on Friday.

"After evaluating the impact of this legislation on the University of Maryland, it became evident that we can no longer host Confucius Institute at Maryland," he said.

In order to minimize the impact on the schools and communities that depend on the teachers provided by Confucius Institute at Maryland, the university will continue to support ongoing classes through the end of this academic year, he said.