Australia's most populous state will ax a Chinese-funded education program that teaches Mandarin in schools amid fears over potential foreign influence.
The Confucius Institute program — administered by the Chinese government agency Hanban — teaches China's official language in 13 public schools across New South Wales (NSW).
However, the NSW government said in a review issued late on Thursday that, while it found no specific evidence of interference, it was improper for the program to continue.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.