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
The House Select Committee on China has released an investigative report detailing that over $2.5 billion in U.S. taxpayer funding has supported research projects involving Chinese defense entities. The report identifies more than 1,400 research publications tied to Department of Defense (DOD)-funded projects with Chinese partners, with about 800 involving direct collaboration with organizations linked to the Chinese military.
The committee’s findings highlight several examples where national security risks may have arisen due to these collaborations. One case involved a DOD-funded nuclear expert at Carnegie Science who held dual appointments at both U.S. and Chinese institutions, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences.
Another example cited partnerships funded by the Office of Naval Research, Army Research Office, and NASA that included researchers from Arizona State University, University of Texas, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Beihang University. Beihang is known for its close ties to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
A third instance detailed a 2024 publication on nanoscale optical devices co-authored by U.S.-based and Chinese researchers from universities such as City University of New York, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Wuhan University of Technology, and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT). Both Huazhong University and Sun Yat-sen are overseen by China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (SASTIND), which conducts research for the PLA. CALT is recognized as China’s main missile weapons development base.
This new report follows a September 2024 investigation led by Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and former House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), which previously revealed that hundreds of millions in federal research funds had contributed to advancements in China’s military technology.
The committee identified several policy gaps:
- DOD Research & Engineering has not significantly updated its risk assessment or enforcement protocols; only a small number of known Chinese talent recruitment programs and defense labs have been added to restricted lists.
- Current policies do not prohibit fundamental research relationships with entities designated as national security threats under DOD guidelines.
- There is no post-award compliance or monitoring for grants even when risk mitigation measures are required.
According to the committee: “there is no justification for U.S. taxpayer-funded research to be conducted with entities documented to have facilitated human rights abuses or support China’s mass surveillance apparatus.”
The full report can be accessed online through official channels.
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