Chinese government is pumping an estimated $10 billion into Confucius Institutes annually

 1-17-2018    A 2011 speech by a standing member of the Politburo in Beijing laid out the case:  “The Confucius Institute is an appealing brand for expanding our culture abroad,” Li Changchun said.  “It has made an important contribution toward improving our soft power.  The ‘Confucius’ brand has a natural attractiveness.  Using the excuse of teaching Chinese language, everything looks reasonable and logical.”…

  the Chinese government is pumping an estimated $10 billion into Confucius Institutes annually, and they have only been bolstered by growing interest in China among American college students….That so many universities have welcomed the Confucius Institute with open arms points to another disturbing trend in American higher education:  an alarming willingness to accept money at the expense of principles that universities are ostensibly devoted to upholding. 

  Chinese minister of propaganda

Liu Yunshan (刘云山, 2002-17 on Politburo of CCP) exhorted his compatriots in a 2010 People’s Daily article:  “With regard to key issues that influence our sovereignty and safety we should actively carry out international propaganda battles against issuers such as Tibet, Xinjiang, Taiwan, human rights and Falun Gong. … We should do well in establishing and operating overseas cultural centers and Confucius Institutes.”
  Liu’s orders have been heeded.  The first Confucius Institute opened in South Korea in 2004.  They quickly spread to Japan, Australia, Canada and Europe.  The United States, China’s biggest geopolitical rival, has been a particular focus:  fully 40% of Confucius Institutes are stateside:

  https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/01/16/how-china-infiltrated-us-classrooms-216327