Supermarkets are full of Chinese goods, and China also exports capital that is invested in both emerging and developed countries. It's no wonder then, if the Celestial Empire is also concerned with exporting its own image, language and culture. The 'Confucius Institutes' are responsible for this, which are for China a bit what the Italian Cultural Institutes are for Italy or, for France, the Alliance Française. Of these 'Confucius Institutes' there are 358 in the world and 129 in 34 European countries.
A three-day conference of European 'Confucius Institutes' concludes today in Edinburgh, where many goals but also many problems were discussed. Some academics have criticized 'Confucius Institutes' as propaganda tools. In America, the Obama administration introduced a rule in May – later retracted – which would have prevented the renewal of visas for Chinese teachers at institutes.
Liu Xiaoming, Chinese ambassador to the UK, seems to have obliquely accepted these criticisms when he stated that 'Confucius Institutes' must focus more on the quality than the number of Institutes.
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