Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun

China opposes the smearing and stigmatization of Confucius Institutes, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Monday, responding to a question about US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's reported designation of the institutes as a "threat to US national security."

Educational exchanges and cooperation between China and the US help enhance mutual understanding between the two peoples and are reciprocal and mutually beneficial, Guo said, stressing that such exchanges should not be disrupted or undermined.

Global Times