Beijing: The US State Department has ordered Chinese academics with visas that offer cultural and educational exchange programmes in America to leave the country in June, saying their visas will not be extended.
The order also includes teachers at Confucius Institutes -- non-profit organisations aimed at promoting Chinese language and culture in foreign countries, the Shanghai Daily reported.
In a policy directive issued May 17, the US State Department said it was reviewing the credentials of these Confucius Institutes, which are Chinese-sponsored centres.
It said these institutes should get certification from the US government before carrying out teaching activities in American universities.
The People's Daily said the directive did not mention where the Confucius Institutes can go to get the certification.
Similar cultural establishments like Germany's Goethe Institute and France's Alliance Francaise do not have the certification either, the daily reported.
The Confucius Institute is named after Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius (551-479 BC). There are more than 350 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms around the world.
IANS
First Published: Thursday, May 24, 2012, 18:40