The great Chinese sage Confucius might have pardoned the American Association of University Professors for their criticism of Confucius Institutes, as it probably stemmed from either fear or ignorance of other cultures, perhaps both.

In a recent statement, the AAUP called on universities to cease their cooperation with the institutes, saying the institutes are "ignoring" academic freedom.

It claimed that Confucius Institutes function as an arm of the Chinese state and are pushing political agendas since they are sponsored by Hanban, which is the State office dealing with Chinese culture run by the Chinese government and the Communist Party of China.