As the numbers have grown, so too has the concern of Western academics who believe the project presents a serious threat to freedom of thought and speech in education.

Since the first institute opened ten years ago, 475 Confucius Institutes and 851 smaller Confucius Classrooms have been established in 126 countries. These numbers raise concerns outside of China about the institute’s intentions, and have prompted some to consider the future of China’s most prominent and most controversial cultural diplomacy initiative.