Around the world, the Chinese regime has partnered with universities and academic institutions to install language centers known as Confucius Institutes (CIs). Drawing upon the name of China’s most famous philosopher, Beijing has promoted these centers as an educational gateway to the country’s language, culture, and history. But these centers are not as benign as they sound, warns a recently released French military think tank report. Rather, they serve as vehicles through which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can spread its propaganda and censorship to foreign students and institutions, it said, jeopardizing academic freedom and integrity. The regime has offered universities generous financial packages in exchange for hosting CIs, a September report by the French Military School Strategic Research Institute said. But once they’re set up, the institutes foster self-censorship by host universities, while promoting CCP narratives to foreign students. Amid rising criticism from Western officials, researchers, and the broader public, …