Teachers from Taiwan may replace Chinese language schools

As the government works to phase out Confucius Institutes, a cross-party group of British MPs is in talks with Taiwan to send teachers of Chinese to the United Kingdom.

 The learning and teaching of Confucius in China has come under intense scrutiny as the two countries' bilateral relations continue to deteriorate.

According to the Taipei Times, the institute has 30 branches functioning around the UK.

 Notably, the schools are in fact collaborative ventures between the Chinese International EducationFoundation, a Beijing-based organisation, a host institution in Britain, a partner university in China, and other parties.

 Liz Truss, the current British prime minister, had lauded the network of Confucius classrooms earlier in 2014. She stated that the institutions "would put in place a solid infrastructure for Mandarin" in the UK while serving as education minister at the time, according to Taipei Times.

 Reports from the previous week, however, indicated that she was now prepared to deem China a "acute threat" to the UK's national security, ranking it alongside Russia.

 The Taipei Times claimed, citing a research by the China Research Group, that practically all British government money on Chinese language instruction at schools is routed through Confucius Institutes located at universities.

 Estimates indicate that from 2015 to 2024, at least PS7 million (US$8.1 million) will be allocated. The cash could be reallocated under the new plan to alternative initiatives like those from Taiwan.

 Only 14 British Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office employees are being educated to speak fluent Chinese annually, according to a Taipei Times report from last month.

 Concerns about British diplomacy were aroused by the absence of Chinese language fluency, which also brought language training into the public eye. According to sources, the US shares these worries, and Taiwan has intervened.