In New Report, Walberg and Moolenar Identify More University Partnerships Threatening National Security

Today, Committee on Education and Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) released a new reportrevealing how U.S. universities are continuing to aid China's military ambitions through joint institutes and academic partnerships.

"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."

"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.

In this investigation, the committees identified more than a hundred additional risky academic partnerships with Chinese entities and conducted a deep dive on more than fifty that pose a direct risk to 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."

Some of the most alarming partnerships identified in the new report are:

1. Three joint degree programs between U.S. universities and China's Seven Sons of National Defense-universities hand-picked by the CCP to propel China's military and defense-research forward.
2. A partnership in submarine engineering research between the University of Houston and Dalian Maritime University, which is supervised by a Chinese defense-focused government agency and partners with Chinese defense conglomerates on engineering research.
3. A dual degree in aircraft power engineering between Shenyang Aerospace University, which is supervised by blacklisted Chinese military company the Aviation Industry Corporation of China and the developer of China's 5th Generation Stealth Fighter, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
4. A joint program in mechanical design, manufacturing, and automation between North China Institute of Aerospace Engineering-a university controlled by blacklisted Chinese military companies that produce China's Long March Rockets and other missiles-and Saint Martin's University in Washington state.

Protecting America's research security has been a long-term priority for the committees. Their September 2024 investigation, CCP on the Quad, documented how hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding by the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation enabled major advancements by China in nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, robotics, and quantum computing.

As a result of the committees' investigation, Chairman Moolenaar authored the SAFE Research Act, which was included in the National Defense Authorization Act passed by the House on September 10. The legislation would stop federal STEM funding from going to universities or researchers that collaborate with China's military and intelligence services.

Read the new report, "Joint Institutes, Divided Loyalties," here.