THE US State Department has ordered Chinese academics with a J-1 visa and teaching at the Confucius Institutes in the US to leave the country before June 30 and said their visas won't be extended, in a move that could disrupt the activities of these institutes。

　　In a policy directive issued on May 17, the State Department said it is reviewing the credentials of these Confucius Institutes which are university-based, Chinese-sponsored language and cultural centers, and said these institutes should get certification from the US government before carrying out teaching activities in American universities。

　　However, 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 don't have the certification either, People's Daily reported today。

　　Officials of the Confucius Institutes in the University of Maryland and George Mason University are bewildered by the decision and are communicating with authorities regarding the certification。

　　The Confucius Institute, named after the Chinese philosopher and educator Confucius (551-479 BC)， is a non-profit institution aimed at promoting Chinese language and culture in foreign countries. There are more than 350 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius Classrooms around the world。

　　【新闻快讯】根据美国国务院5月17日发布的公告，目前在该国持有J—1签证的孔子学院中国教师将不得不于6月30日离境。美方称不会为他们续签签证;如果他们愿意，可回到中国再申办适当的交流项目签证。

　　令人最为不解的是美国官方要求对孔子学院进行所谓“认证”。公告声称：“目前，国务院正在审查孔子学院的学术资质……孔子学院必须申请美国的认证，才能在其所在大学开展教学。”美方称，基于初步审查结果，“没有明确证据显示这些学院已获得美国的认证”，而之所以需要美国认证，是为了确保教育符合并保持相关既定标准。

　　美国官方迄今从未说明孔子学院应该向谁认证。横向比较一下，从未听说德国的歌德学院、法国的法语联盟等在美文化交流机构须得到美国认证。美国第一家孔子学院马里兰大学孔子学院及乔治·梅森大学孔子学院负责人表示，对这一公告感到困惑，校方均在就“认证”一事进行讨论与沟通。

　　孔子学院以中国古代哲学家、教育家孔子(公元前551-479)的名字命名，是一个致力于在外国推广汉语和中国文化的非盈利性机构。现在世界各地有超过350个孔子学院和500个孔子课堂。