U.S. crackdown on Confucius Institutes demonises the program, says China

Reuters
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian attends a news conference in Beijing

BEIJING (Reuters) - A U.S. crackdown on Confucius Institutes demonises and stigmatises the normal functioning of the program, China's foreign ministry said on Friday.

The Institutes have been observing local laws, and China deplores the move, ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian told a news briefing.

The United States said on Thursday it was requiring the center that manages the Chinese government-funded Institutes in the United States to register as a foreign mission.

(Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; editing by John Stonestreet)