Partnerships between U.S. and Chinese universities over the past decade have facilitated the transfer of critical technologies to China, including advancements in hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence (AI), nuclear technology, and semiconductors, according to a new report by congressional Republicans. The report claims that these collaborations, often funded by U.S. taxpayers, have inadvertently contributed to Beijing’s military modernization.
The report, released Monday by Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the House Education and Workforce Committee, warns that these partnerships, once celebrated for fostering international cooperation, pose significant national security risks. It calls for stronger safeguards and stricter enforcement to prevent sensitive technologies developed at U.S. universities from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries, specifically China.
The committees conducted a yearlong investigation into the role of American higher education in the growing U.S.-China technological rivalry, a critical area of concern as the two nations vie for supremacy in emerging fields like AI and quantum computing. The investigation highlighted the risks posed by open academic exchanges between American and Chinese scholars, particularly in fields with potential military applications.
U.S. universities and China’s military modernization
The report asserts that federal research funding, which supports cutting-edge scientific work at American universities, has helped China develop technologies that could be used for military purposes. The investigation uncovered around 8,800 academic publications co-authored by U.S. researchers, many of whom received funding from the Department of Defense or U.S. intelligence agencies, in collaboration with Chinese scientists linked to China’s defense research and industrial base.
“Such research is providing back-door access to the very foreign adversary nation whose aggression these capabilities are necessary to protect against,” the report said, raising concerns about the extent of U.S. involvement in China’s technological and military advancement.
While U.S. universities do not typically engage in classified or secret research, much of the work they conduct, particularly in advanced scientific fields, has potential military applications. The report argues that these academic collaborations have unwittingly aided China in its efforts to compete with the U.S. in critical technologies that could enhance Beijing’s military capabilities.
Legislative action and safeguards
In response to these findings, the U.S. House of Representatives has taken legislative action, passing around two dozen China-related bills aimed at curbing Beijing’s access to American technology and limiting its influence in key sectors. These bills, which are pending Senate approval, seek to restrict the sale of Chinese-made drones, ban Chinese-linked biotech companies from operating in the U.S., and cut off China’s access to advanced U.S. computer chips.
Other proposed measures focus on reducing Beijing’s influence on U.S. college campuses and reviving a Trump-era program to prevent China’s theft of intellectual property from American universities and research institutions. The program, which was criticized for concerns about racial profiling, ended in 2022 but is now being reconsidered.
Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell noted earlier this year at a forum hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations that the U.S. should welcome more Chinese students in fields such as the humanities and social sciences but remain cautious about allowing them to study high-risk areas like particle physics.
Problematic partnerships
The House report specifically called out several joint institutes between U.S. and Chinese universities that it claims have been used as conduits for the transfer of sensitive technologies. One such institute, the Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI), a partnership between Georgia Institute of Technology and Tianjin University in China, was named as a potential source of technology transfer.
Georgia Tech, however, defended its involvement, stating that GTSI focuses on education, not research, and that no technology transfer or federally funded research was conducted at the institute. Nevertheless, Georgia Tech announced on September 6 that it would discontinue its participation in the partnership, citing concerns about the U.S. Commerce Department’s accusations of trade secret theft against Tianjin University in 2020.
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Another collaboration flagged by the report is the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI), a joint venture between the University of California, Berkeley, and China’s Tsinghua University. Berkeley responded to the report by emphasizing that its researchers are engaged only in open research and that it has no control over activities conducted solely by non-Berkeley employees at the institute. The university announced that it had begun the process of unwinding its involvement with the Shenzhen-based institute after months of internal deliberations.
The University of Pittsburgh, which was also named in the report for its partnership with Sichuan University in China, declined to comment on the investigation, stating that it had not been consulted by the House Select Committee.
Ongoing concerns and future outlook
The findings in the report highlight the complex balancing act facing U.S. universities as they navigate the benefits and risks of international collaboration. While academic exchange can foster innovation and mutual understanding, the report underscores the national security risks when sensitive research and technology are at stake.
As the U.S. continues to compete with China for dominance in cutting-edge fields, lawmakers are likely to increase scrutiny on university partnerships, potentially reshaping the landscape of academic collaboration in the coming years. The debate over how to strike a balance between openness and security in scientific research will remain a central issue in U.S.-China relations.
