In a recent development in the United States Congress, a Republican leader has called for further restrictions on federal research funding flow to Chinese universities by the Department of Defense, which was previously known as the Department of Defense. The call also includes imposing similar restrictions on dozens of other Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University, associated with some of the top business leaders in the United States.
The House of Representatives Subcommittee on the Chinese Communist Party (House Select Committee on the CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar this month sent a letter to the Department of Defense requesting an additional 58 Chinese universities and 62 Chinese tech labs to be included in the “Section 1286 List”.
The “Section 1286 List”, known as the “National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Section 1286 List”, is a blacklist established by the U.S. government under Section 1286 of the 2019 Fiscal Year NDAA, and is regularly updated.
Section 1286 of the NDAA requires the Department of Defense to take measures to protect research involving critical defense technologies conducted by U.S. academic institutions and disclose a list of certain Chinese and Russian academic institutions. The activities of these institutions pose a threat to U.S. national interests, including intellectual property theft, engagement in espionage activities, ties with military or intelligence agencies, and conducting malicious foreign talent recruitment programs.
The core purpose of the “Section 1286 List” is to safeguard U.S. national security and prevent research projects, sensitive technologies, intellectual property, etc., funded by the U.S. government from ultimately flowing to adversarial countries like China and Russia military or intelligence agencies.
According to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters, in his letter, the Michigan Republican congressman mentioned that among the Chinese labs and universities he requested action against, several are focused on research in areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.
The U.S. National Defense Authorization Act Section 1286 stipulates that the Department of Defense cannot provide research funding to any entity collaborating with Chinese universities on the list, as it poses a “compliance risk” that could lead to loss of federal funds in the U.S.
The Department of Defense announced in August this year that it will investigate 30 U.S. universities to determine if they are cooperating with the Chinese institutions listed in the “Section 1286 List”.
Moolenaar urged the Department of Defense to include Tsinghua University in the list. Tsinghua University is one of China’s top universities and has produced many elites in the Chinese business and political sectors.
Some U.S. business leaders also have connections to the university, including CEOs of several U.S. tech companies such as Nvidia, Apple, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), who are members of the Tsinghua University School of Economics and Management Advisory Council, aimed at fostering connections between U.S. and Chinese businesses.
(Reference: Reuters)