East Michigan News

Today, Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and Chairman Tim Walberg of the Committee on Education and Workforce released a report examining how U.S. universities are involved in partnerships with Chinese institutions that may pose risks to national security.

"American universities should never be a pipeline for the Chinese Communist Party’s military ambitions, and this report reveals alarming new details about their partnerships with CCP-controlled institutions. These collaborations empower China’s military and exploit research paid for by American taxpayers. That’s why I am working with Chairman Walberg to pass the SAFE Research Act, which will end joint institutes, and stop our tax dollars from aiding our adversaries," said Chairman Moolenaar.

“I’m pleased to publish this report with Chairman Moolenaar," said Chairman Walberg. "It highlights the ever-growing threat of the Chinese Communist Party exploiting our education system to their military advantage. No American university should be helping the Chinese Communist Party through dangerous research partnerships masquerading as purely ‘academic.’ This is why we need legislation like the DETERRENT Act and the SAFE Research Act to protect our country from malicious foreign influence.”

The committees' investigation led to legislation authored by Chairman Moolenaar, known as the SAFE Research Act, which was included in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the House on September 10. This measure would block federal STEM funding from reaching universities or researchers who collaborate with China's military or intelligence services.

The investigation identified over one hundred additional academic partnerships between U.S. and Chinese entities considered risky, focusing in detail on more than fifty that could directly affect U.S. national security.

"Joint Institutes—entities based in China that pair American universities with Chinese institutions—are not typical academic collaborations that benefit students from both countries. They are under the thumb of the CCP. They operate under PRC law; are run by Chinese-majority boards and have Party presence in leadership; and are aligned with the CCP’s national strategy, including its military buildup," the lawmakers write. "Chinese government funding dominates these joint institutes, and the use of funds is restricted by law to align with CCP goals."

Among notable examples cited were three joint degree programs involving U.S. universities and China’s Seven Sons of National Defense—institutions selected by Beijing for advancing its defense research—as well as collaborations such as submarine engineering research between University of Houston and Dalian Maritime University; a dual degree program in aircraft power engineering between Shenyang Aerospace University (linked to blacklisted companies) and Southern Illinois University Carbondale; and a mechanical design program between North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering (connected to missile production) and Saint Martin’s University in Washington state.

Previous investigations have found that federal agencies such as Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation provided hundreds of millions in research funding that contributed to advances for China in nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing.

Earlier this month, another committee report showed more than 1,400 research publications resulted from DOD-funded projects involving Chinese partners—with over half linked directly to entities connected to China's military—and totaling more than $2.5 billion in taxpayer funding.

The full report titled “Joint Institutes, Divided Loyalties” can be read here.