The House’s China Select Committee has called on the University of Michigan to end its partnership with the Shanghai Jiao Tong Institute, which they believe is sharing sensitive technological expertise with the Chinese Communist Party. The committee chair, Rep. John Moolenaar, has urged the university to conduct a national security review of the partnership and take steps to protect federally funded research and international students. Despite other universities severing ties with Chinese institutes after a GOP-led report highlighted concerns, Michigan has maintained its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong.
The letter from the committee alleges that the Shanghai Jiao Tong Institute plays a crucial role in the Chinese government’s military-civil fusion strategy. University of Michigan researchers have received significant funding from the Department of Defense and have worked on projects such as developing an “unhackable” computer chip. The joint partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong features specialized labs and has received support from China’s 863 Program, which aids in military technology development. The letter also points out collaborations on defense technologies and military aircraft advancements between researchers from the institute and the People’s Liberation Army.
The joint institute has been involved in training combat forces for the PLA, with students required to undergo military training upon enrollment. The letter highlights Shanghai Jiao Tong’s role in supporting the PRC’s most sensitive defense programs, including nuclear weapons and fighter jets. Recent incidents involving Chinese nationals enrolled in the program, such as unauthorized access to a military site and illegal photographing in Florida, have raised further concerns about potential security risks. It is suggested that the military-academic integration at Shanghai Jiao Tong enables contributions to the PRC’s defense programs.
A report by the House Select Committee on China Competition and the Education and Workforce Committee has found numerous joint research publications funded by the DOD or intelligence community, with co-authors linked to China’s defense and security apparatus. Recommendations from the report include implementing stricter guidelines for federally funded research, limiting the ability of researchers to collaborate with Chinese institutions with military affiliations. The report emphasizes the need to prevent the transfer of U.S. technologies and expertise back to China through academic partnerships and circumventing government blacklists.
The report concludes that China has been orchestrating a campaign to work with prestigious U.S. universities to access U.S. technologies and expertise. Over 9,000 joint research publications funded by the DOD or intelligence community were published by co-authors with ties to China’s defense and security entities. More than 2,000 DOD-funded papers have Chinese co-authors directly affiliated with China’s defense research and industrial base. The House committees recommend measures to safeguard U.S. research and prevent the exploitation of academic partnerships for the transfer of sensitive information and technology. Actions taken by other universities after the release of the report underscore the concerns raised regarding the potential risks associated with collaborations with Chinese institutes.
