FIRST ON FOX: Dozens of American colleges, high schools, middle schools and elementary schools have taken part in a program launched by Chinese President Xi Jinping and run by an agency dedicated to promoting "Marxism-Leninism," a new report published by the parents' rights group Defending Education found. At least 83 universities and 26 K-12 schools across 30 states have participated in Beijing’s Young Envoys Scholarship, an exchange program which the Chinese Communist Party says is designed to improve relations with the United States, according to the report.Critics, however, maintain that Chinese exchange programs serve a political function, allowing the CCP to curate manicured experiences to unduly sway American perceptions of China.The program’s reach underscores how Beijing uses educational exchanges to build influence with American students even as U.S.
officials, the president among them, are increasingly scrutinizing CCP efforts to shape public opinion and gain footholds in institutions.The new Defending Education report raises questions about what students are shown in China, who shapes those experiences and whether schools and families fully understand the political implications of participation.HARVARD TOPS NATION IN FOREIGN CASH HAUL AS COTTON DEMANDS PROBE INTO CHINA FUNDINGChinese President Xi Jinping speaks during an international business meeting at The Great Hall Of The People on March 28, 2025 in Beijing, China.
(Ken Ishii - Pool/Getty Images)"The Chinese Communist Party engages in cognitive warfare to distort American perceptions of the CCP‘s endless human rights abuses and global aggression," Michael Lucci, the CEO of the national security nonprofit State Armor, told Fox News Digital."They are reaching deep into our education system to influence American students as one of their influence operations to try to change the way Americans think."Xi established the program in 2023 with the aim of inviting 50,000 young Americans to the countr...