East Michigan News

This week, Congressman John Moolenaar, Chairman of the Select Committee on China, issued letters to seven universities urging them to terminate joint programs associated with the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC). The institutions contacted include Dartmouth College, Temple University, University of California at Davis, Irvine, and Riverside, University of Notre Dame, and University of Tennessee. These programs are linked to technology transfer efforts managed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which allegedly support China's military and scientific advancement.

The committee has long sought to end such partnerships due to concerns about technology acquisition through various means including espionage and forced tech transfers. In September of last year, Chairman Moolenaar alongside former Chairwoman Virginia Foxx from the House Education and Workforce Committee published a report titled "CCP on the Quad." The report highlighted that U.S. taxpayer-funded research has contributed significantly to China's military development over the past decade.

Chairman Moolenaar's letter states: "Unlike other international student programs, the CSC has faced increasing scrutiny and criticism due to concerns over academic freedom, surveillance of students, ideological control, and potential espionage. For example, CSC mandates that sponsored students return to the PRC upon completing their studies and serve the PRC for at least two years."

Further details in the letter describe requirements for CSC-sponsored students to regularly report their academic activities to PRC embassies or consulates. The letters also demand documentation from these universities regarding their relationships with CSC as well as data about CSC-sponsored students’ affiliations before and after graduation.

The request includes justifications from universities on how fostering talent development in STEM fields that benefit PRC interests aligns with U.S. national interests.