中国周一拒绝华盛顿将孔子学院文化中心定性为对美国国家安全的威胁，称此举为“污蔑”。
China on Monday rejected Washington's designation of the Confucius Institute Cultural Centers as a threat to US national security, calling the move "vilification." "We reject vilification and smears against Confucius Institute," Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told reporters in Beijing.
“中美教育交流合作有助于增进两国人民相互理解，符合双方意愿、惠及双方利益，不应受阻、不应受扰，”外交部发言人郭嘉昆在北京对记者表示。
"Educational exchange and cooperation between China and the US help enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of the two countries. They are desired by both sides and benefit both sides and should not be held back or disrupted," he added.
美国国务院上周将美国大学校园内的孔子学院定性为对美国国家安全的威胁。
The US State Department last week designated the Confucius Institute at American universities and campuses as a threat to US national security.
美国国防部长皮特·赫格塞斯在社交媒体发布的视频中指称，孔子学院以伪装形式在美国大学运作，五角大楼已将其列入威胁华盛顿国家安全的机构名单。
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a video posted on social media, alleged that Confucius Institutes were operating under disguise at US universities and that the Pentagon had added them to its list of institutions that threaten Washington's national security.
“结果发现，30所大学出现了80个新的宣传据点，使用不同名称和不同章程，但使命相同：窃取知识产权、渗透美国学生思想，”赫格塞斯说。
"It turns out that 80 new propaganda cells across 30 universities had popped up using different names and different charters, but with the same mission: to steal intellectual property and to infiltrate the minds of American students," Hegseth said.
以古代中国哲学家孔子命名，这些学院是中国的公共教育和文化推广项目。
Named after the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, the institutes are China's public educational and cultural promotion programs.