East Michigan News

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on China, Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) of the Committee on Education and Workforce, and Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have sent a letter to Harvard University highlighting new evidence of collaboration between Harvard and a school managed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The committee states that whistleblowers have revealed Harvard’s partnership with an institution under the control of the Central Organization Department of the CCP Central Committee.

According to the committee, this department is directly responsible for advancing Xi Jinping's leadership. "The CCP Organization Department is one of the most powerful bodies within the Communist Party; it is responsible for the regimented training program centered on 'Xi Jinping Thought' provided to the Party elites and controls the placement of CCP members in key leadership positions,"the letter writes.

The letter details that Harvard Kennedy School works with the Chinese Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), which is run by the CCP Organization Department, to train future leaders within the party. The committee cites information from 2016, stating: "In 2016, a high-ranking member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stated that Chinese 'party and government cadres' participate in 'education and training' run by the CCP Organization Department. The Chinese government 'sends some cadres abroad' to 'the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.'"

The lawmakers are requesting documentation from Harvard about its collaborations with entities related to either China’s government or Communist Party, as well as any financial or other benefits received from these entities.

Previous reports from officials indicate that this is not Harvard’s first engagement with CCP-linked organizations. The Select Committee has raised concerns that such ties could impact U.S. national security interests.

Earlier this year, similar concerns were addressed in another letter from the committee. That correspondence called attention to partnerships involving U.S.-sanctioned groups like Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), research funded by both U.S. defense agencies and universities linked to China's military sector, joint work with Iranian-government-funded researchers, and organ transplantation studies involving collaborators based in China—amid ongoing allegations regarding forced organ harvesting practices.

The Select Committee continues its investigation into these relationships as part of its commitment to transparency regarding potential threats posed by foreign influence in academic institutions.