I’m always shocked at how many pots the Chinese government has its hands in. The reach is so far, and so deep, that I can’t help but question where I’ll find their influence next.

Recently I learned about Confucius Institutes — educational partnerships between North American and Chinese schools. For example, the B.C. government shows courses through the Confucius Institute, simple language proficiency tests for students of the Chinese languages and Chinese-Canadians learning English.

Where is the harm in that?

Well, a recent report done by the Globe and Mail explains that “Beijing used influence over B.C. schools to push its agenda and keep tabs on Canadian politics," adding that “the school district signed off on terms that gave Beijing wide latitude to evaluate instruction, and demand respect for Chinese cultural customs,” which included terminating funding if Coquitlam damaged the image of the program.

Image of the program... or the image of China’s government?

Hmm... I wonder.