Recommendations include using the US–Taiwan Education Initiative as a primary model for expanding Mandarin teaching
A bipartisan commission focused on the rule of law and human rights in China is recommending that the US Congress scale up immersion programs for Mandarin and other languages spoken in China in US high schools and universities.
In its 2025 Annual Report, the Congressional–Executive Commission on China (CECC) advocates for a strategic expansion of Chinese language education that is independent of the Chinese government’s influence.
Key Recommendations
- Scale up immersion programs: The commission recommends that the US Congress significantly increase funding for Mandarin immersion programs in US high schools and universities to deepen linguistic and cultural expertise.
- Target critical minority languages: Beyond Mandarin, the CECC explicitly calls for increased resources and training in Tibetan and Uyghur languages. This is intended to help US officials and researchers better monitor and confront “malign” activities and human rights abuses in those regions.
- Utilize the Taiwan model: The commission identifies the US–Taiwan Education Initiative as a primary model for expanding Mandarin teaching. It suggests shifting more study abroad and language-instruction opportunities to Taiwan to avoid the political constraints found in mainland China.
- Curb Chinese government influence: The report supports legislative efforts to restrict Chinese influence in US K–12 and secondary schools. Specifically, it recommends:
- Conditioning federal funds on schools cutting ties with Chinese government-linked entities that provide language training.
- Implementing new transparency and disclosure requirements for foreign funding of curricula or staff positions.
- Support for global expertise: The CECC argues that maintaining these language offerings is essential for developing the “linguistic and cultural experts” needed to effectively compete with and address challenges posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
The recommendations come as Washington has cut funding for cultural exchange programs since the start of US president Donald Trump’s second administration.
The commission, currently chaired by Republican lawmakers Dan Sullivan and Chris Smith, named the US–Taiwan Education Initiative created in 2020 to expand Mandarin teaching in the US and opportunities to study in Taiwan as a model for expanding access.
The CECC, established by the US Congress in 2000, typically comprises lawmakers from both parties and members of the executive branch. No executive-branch members have yet been appointed for the current two-year cycle, which began in January.
This is not the first time in recent years that the commission has recommended increasing Mandarin language access, but this year’s report goes further by explicitly calling for immersion programs that enable deeper training, as well as resources for Tibetan and Uygur languages.
The CECC is making the national security case for language learning, framing it as part of a community-protection and capacity-building effort “that can address the human rights implications of the Chinese Communist Party’s covert influence networks, uplift vulnerable populations, and reinforce the integrity of US political, academic, and civil society institutions.”
The House of Representatives has recently passed two bills restricting US schools’ engagement with Chinese entities. The first prohibits public elementary and secondary schools from accepting money from, or contracting with, the Chinese government, Communist Party, or their affiliates and would require disclosure of any foreign funding or agreements to the Education Department. The second requires local school districts to tell parents of their right to review any curriculum or staff positions supported by foreign governments or entities of concern, including China, and to request written information on how such funding is used.