Confucius Institute victim of US policy shift

Editor's note: The University of North Florida has become the latest US university to sever ties with the Confucius Institute, claiming the relationship with the Chinese-funded institute does not conform to its "mission and goals". Besides, the 2019 US National Defense Authorization Act, passed by the full US Congress on Aug 1, bans the Pentagon from funding Chinese language programs at US universities that have Confucius Institutes on their campus. Why has the United States targeted the Confucius Institute time and again, and what should the organization do to weather the storm? Two experts share their opinions with China Daily's Liu Jianna on the issue. Excerpts follow:

US has made the cultural front another battlefield

That the US has once again turned against a Chinese cultural exchange platform reflects the profound change in its policy toward China, which has been identified as a "strategic competitor" of the US and a revisionist power in the Donald Trump administration's first National Security Strategy report.