Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official U.S. House headshot
Congressman John Moolenaar Chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP | Official U.S. House headshot
House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar and House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg have urged Duke University President Vincent Price to terminate the university's partnership with Duke Kunshan University (DKU) in China. They expressed concerns over national security risks linked to the collaboration.
Moolenaar and Walberg argue that DKU, through its partnership with Chinese entities, has enabled the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to access sensitive U.S. technology. This includes Department of Defense-funded research into advanced camera systems now used for surveillance purposes in China. The congressmen also highlighted issues related to research security, academic freedom, technology transfer, and the manipulation of American students for authoritarian purposes.
In their letter, they wrote: "DKU, established in 2018 in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), now enrolls over 3,000 students across undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs and specializes in high-technology fields with direct military applications." They further noted that "many DKU students spend time at Duke University, gaining access to federally funded U.S. research."
The letter also addressed concerns about American students being used for CCP propaganda. "Students were coached to recite 'I love China' in Mandarin on camera," Moolenaar and Walberg stated. They described this as part of Xi Jinping’s “50,000 Initiative” with no genuine cultural exchange.
DKU was founded as a joint institute between Duke University and Wuhan University in 2018. Wuhan University is known for conducting research in defense areas and training cyber warfare specialists for the People’s Liberation Army.
A report released by the House Select Committee on China and the House Education and Workforce Committee listed 21 American universities involved in STEM-focused partnerships with Chinese universities. It raised concerns about these collaborations furthering China's national security goals.
Some universities such as Georgia Institute of Technology, University of California - Berkeley, University of Michigan, and Oakland University have already ended their joint institutes following similar concerns.
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