Nikki Haley targets Confucius Institutes, but at least 2 operated in South Carolina when she was governor

During Nikki Haley's tenure as governor of South Carolina, at least two higher education institutions operated Confucius Institutes in the Palmetto State.

"The line between Chinese investors and the Chinese Communist Party is exceptionally thin. The national security risk is too great. We must prevent China from buying more land, and force it to sell what it already owns," said Haley, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. "We need similar resolve in our higher education system. China has set up so-called Confucius Institutes that spread communist propaganda on college campuses. When they get shut down, they quickly re-open under different names." Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. Story tips can be sent to kyle.morris@fox.com and on Twitter: @RealKyleMorris.

"China is giving hundreds of millions of dollars to our universities. This funding gives Beijing a foothold in the best research institutions in the world," she added. "It wants our research for its military. We should end this practice. We should ban all propaganda centers and eliminate federal funding for universities that take Chinese money. Universities must choose – China or America. It shouldn’t be a hard decision. … The challenge today is that national security is affected by almost every part of our relationship with China. No one understands that better than the Chinese. They have desperately pursued American investment and innovation precisely to strengthen their military."