November 22, 2022
Protect American Campuses Act
Key Takeaways
The purpose of this act is to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from influencing and subverting American public universities through Confucius Institutes (CIs), Chinese Student and Scholar Associations (CSSAs), and any potential successor organizations. The CCP seeks to control American campus culture and enforce political alignment among foreign Chinese students and take advantage of American intellectual products to fuel their technological and military progress. The precise language banning “designated foreign missions of China” and “recruitment or propaganda programs” from operating in public universities ensures that repackaged successor groups to the CIs and CSSAs will be barred.
No designated foreign mission of China, including the Confucius Institute U.S. Center, the Asia Society Chinese Language Partner Network, and the Center for Language Exchange and Cooperation, shall be established at or recognized by any state educational institution after the effective date of _____.[1]
Employees, students, and faculty of state educational institutions shall be barred from any participation in recruitment programs[2] established by the government of China, including the Thousand Talents Program, the Overseas High-Level Talent Recruitment Program, and the National High-End Foreign Experts Recruitment Plan. Universities are required to report any effort by the government of China, or any agent of the Chinese government, to recruit or partner with scientists, scholars, and other experts by offering them benefits or privileges, such as concurrent or short-term appointments at Chinese institutions or Chinese research laboratories.
The “Protect American Campuses Act” is adapted from Wisconsin 2021 Senate Bill 744. The following definitions are applicable to this proposed model legislation:
“Designated foreign mission of China” means any entity or operation designated by the office of foreign missions in the federal department of state as a foreign mission, as defined in 22 USC 4302 (a), of the People's Republic of China within the United States, including the Confucius Institute U.S. Center, the Asia Society of Chinese Language Partner Network, and the Center for Language Exchange and Cooperation. (Section 1 236.11 (61))
“Communist Chinese recruitment program” is defined as “a program established by the government of China, including the Thousand Talents Program, the Overseas High-Level Talent Recruitment Program, and the National High-End Foreign Experts Recruitment Plan, to recruit or partner with scientists, scholars, and other experts by offering them benefits or privileges, such as concurrent or short-term appointments at Chinese institutions or Chinese research laboratories.” (Section 3. 36.11)