According to Colombian think tank Andrés Bello Foundation, there are more than 47 Confucius Institutes (CIs) in Latin America. These centers offer a window into Chinese language and culture, providing courses in Mandarin and traditional arts that have been welcomed by students and universities alike. Yet, beneath this veneer of cultural exchange lies a more strategic objective: the projection of China’s soft power and influence throughout the region.
These institutes, funded and overseen by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) Ministry of Education, are a key component of Beijing’s broader efforts to shape perceptions, foster political alignment, and expand its strategic footprint in the hemisphere.
Controversies
Despite concerns surrounding these institutes, Honduras inaugurated its first CI in its capital, Tegucigalpa, in May 2025, following the establishment of diplomatic relations with China in 2023. This move comes against a backdrop of significant closures of CIs worldwide, due to concerns over academic freedom and undue Chinese influence. Australia and several European nations, including Sweden and the Netherlands, have seen universities shutter their CIs amid similar worries.
The Chinese Embassy in Honduras made the announcement via X, which included images of a ceremony held in Beijing, where an educational agreement was signed with representatives of the Francisco Morazán National Pedagogical University (UPNFM) and Zhejiang University of International Studies.
The agreement establishes that the new CI will operate within the facilities of the UPNFM, the institution responsible for teacher training in Honduras’ basic and secondary education system.
The Chinese Embassy in Honduras, the CI at the University of Panama, and other cultural and educational institutions, have been working together since 2023 to establish this institute in the country.
Alarm bells ringing in the region
The expansion of Confucius Institutes has set off alarm bells in Latin America. Critics accuse the centers of promoting a sanitized version of China, omitting discussion of sensitive topics, including the Tiananmen Square massacre, the status of Taiwan and Tibet, and the detention of Uyghurs in so called “re-education camps.” The United Nations estimates that nearly one million people, largely Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, are held in these facilities, ostensibly for the purpose of combating terrorism.
In a report, Human Rights Watch described CIs as “extensions of the Chinese regime,” noting that they censor materials for political reasons and prioritize loyalty to the CCP when selecting their professors.
The Andrés Bello Foundation has warned that the presence of CIs in Latin America risk influencing local academic output, reducing criticism of China due to the financial dependence of host universities. In Colombia, an analysis of the operation of these institutions concluded that they are part of the CCP’s broader diplomatic strategy.
Leaders with a Chinese vision
Amid economic constraints facing many Latin America universities, accepting Chinese funding carries a risk to academic freedom. In the 2022-2024 Joint Action Plan between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Beijing pledged to increase the number of CIs in the region, promote Mandarin language education, integrate it into national curricula, and offer scholarships and study opportunities in China.
The Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) highlighted China’s strengthened presence in Brazil through academic and scientific cooperation. Brazil currently hosts 12 CIs, some strategically located in economically disadvantaged regions that are of significant strategic interest to China.
In Peru, although the National University of Engineering does not host a Confucius Institute, it collaborates with the Shenzhen Polytechnic University on automotive research projects. According to experts, this type of academic collaboration could involve risks related to technology transfer, including military applications.
In an interview with Voice of America, Parsifal D’Sola, a Chinese foreign policy analyst and director of the Andrés Bello Foundation, expressed concern about the impact of CIs on academic freedom. According to D’Sola, the centers seek to train leaders who sympathize with China’s geopolitical vision.
“As long as there is greater participation by Latin American professors in research funded by a Chinese government entity, we will see less criticism of China within academia, and that is something that benefits China’s international image,” D’Sola said.
