The Trump administration is intensifying scrutiny of American colleges and their ties to Beijing as concerns over national security and espionage rise.
On May 28, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a campaign to “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students,” highlighting growing apprehensions surrounding potential espionage activities.
Earlier, in April, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Department of Education to enforce the Higher Education Act of 1965, which mandates that universities disclose the purpose and source of their foreign funding. This was a standard that had been overlooked during the Biden administration.
Certain GOP leaders have threatened to revoke Harvard University’s tax-exempt status over its association with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a Chinese Communist Party entity.
However, many other partnerships between American universities and organizations linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) have not captured the same level of attention from policymakers.
A review by the Washington Examiner of public records has revealed that three public universities— the University of New Mexico, the University of Kentucky, and North Carolina State University— have established relationships with the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT).
BIT is a key player in China’s defense sphere, having received the highest number of defense research awards and patents among Chinese universities. With at least ten major defense laboratories, nearly one-third of its graduates enter China’s defense sector.
The institution has been implicated in espionage activities against the U.S. and has been placed on the Department of Commerce’s Export Administration Regulations entity list for “acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S.-origin items in support of programs for the People’s Liberation Army.”
Despite these red flags, the University of New Mexico’s Anderson School of Management continues to promote an “educational pipeline” designed to provide business training for BIT students. Additionally, the University of Kentucky operates a student exchange program with BIT, while North Carolina State University offers various joint degree options with the institution.
Though exchange programs might appear harmless, experts warn they may harbor national security risks. In a notable incident in 2023, an American soldier observed five students from the University of Michigan taking photographs of military installations at Camp Grayling, a National Guard base, as part of an exchange program with a Shanghai-based university. Previously, other Chinese exchange students have been caught attempting to steal American technology.
Some universities have even partnered with Chinese institutions that have more direct links to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Saginaw Valley State University and Southern Illinois University, for instance, advertise their collaborations with Shenyang Aerospace University, which is supervised by a state-owned military aircraft manufacturer and operates multiple defense laboratories.
Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, emphasized the risk associated with American higher education being “addicted to the Chinese Communist Party.” He criticized university officials for engaging in domestic cultural disputes while willingly partnering with Chinese institutions tied to the PLA. According to Sobolik, the Trump administration is justifiably working to reduce this dependency and should pursue lawful means to dissolve these partnerships.
Despite the administration’s concerns, the White House and the Department of Education did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.
In addition to military-related partnerships, American colleges have established links with Chinese universities participating in the CCP’s human rights abuses against Uyghurs, an operation classified as genocide by international observers and the U.S. government.
For instance, Benedictine University maintains an exchange program with Dalian Minzu University, while Western Illinois University includes it among its “international partners,” citing commitments to “diversity” and “cultural awareness.” However, Dalian Minzu University is implicated in research that enhances facial recognition technologies employed by the CCP for monitoring Uyghurs and oversees non-CCP members and foreign returnee students.
Concerns regarding Chinese influence in American academia have persisted, with critics warning that lucrative contracts with Chinese corporations, substantial academic donations, and the influx of CCP-affiliated international students serve as conduits for advancing China’s strategic interests.
Opponents of the Trump administration’s approach argue that aggressive measures against foreign influence might undermine the capacity of universities to foster U.S. soft power and could diminish the appeal of American education to foreign students.
The Washington Examiner found numerous collaborations involving Tsinghua and Peking University, among the most frequently noted in analyses of partnerships between U.S. colleges and Chinese military-linked entities.
Examples of such partnerships include the University of Pittsburgh offering biomedical research training to Tsinghua students, Stanford University’s major satellite campus at Peking, and a joint research center at Tsinghua maintained by Yale University.
Tsinghua’s administration has openly supported the CCP’s agenda of military-civil integration, particularly concerning artificial intelligence research. The university houses eight military labs focusing on subjects ranging from missile technology to nuclear initiatives.
“Tsinghua University, one of China’s leading engineering schools, is well-entrenched in the PRC’s Military-Civil Fusion initiative and closely tied to the defense establishment,” stated John Moolenaar, the Chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP, previously noting Tsinghua’s significant connections to the military.
Peking University also has substantial military collaborations, operating four military laboratories and engaging actively in military technology expos, as well as signing strategic agreements with the Chinese Navy.
A spokesperson for Stanford University clarified that its center operates independently of Peking University and does not engage in STEM research, focusing mainly on facilitating short-term study abroad programs for Stanford students.
Numerous American colleges report partnerships with Chinese universities identified as national security risks by the Department of Commerce, including Beihang University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sichuan University, and the Harbin Institute of Technology, all of which have sought to utilize U.S. technology for Chinese missile programs.
Except for Stanford University, other institutions mentioned did not provide comments when approached by the Washington Examiner.
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