On Friday, November 1st, the United States House of Representatives sent a letter to the University of Michigan, urging them to shut down their joint research institute with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. The letter was addressed to the chairman of the Select Committee on the CCP, Representative John Moolenaar.
A congressional investigation into collaborative projects between Chinese and American universities revealed that the Sino-American academic joint research institute is a “core channel” used by the Chinese Communist authorities and their affiliated entities to transfer sensitive U.S. technology and research results to China’s defense and research industrial base.
In the letter to the University of Michigan’s President Santa Ono, Moolenaar expressed concerns over these developments and strongly encouraged the university to terminate its cooperation with Shanghai Jiao Tong University to safeguard the integrity of federally funded research at Michigan and thoroughly review international students studying on the campus.
Moolenaar’s committee released a report in September regarding collaborative projects between American and Chinese universities. As a result of the investigation, several schools including U.C. Berkeley and the Georgia Institute of Technology have started to sever their research ties with Chinese institutions.
In early September, Georgia Tech announced the termination of a collaboration project with Tianjin University. The committee pointed out that a research center at Tianjin University collaborated with a Chinese company, whose subsidiary is one of the suppliers to the Chinese military.
Moolenaar emphasized in the letter that the University of Michigan has yet to take action to address the national security risks posed by its joint research institute with Chinese defense-related universities.
The public letter highlighted Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s crucial role in the Chinese military-civilian fusion strategy. According to a report by the committee last year, the university has been supervised by the Chinese National Defense Science and Technology Bureau since 2016.
The federal government provides significant funding to support military research at the University of Michigan. In 2023, the university received $77 million in research funding from the Department of Defense.
The joint research institute between the University of Michigan and Shanghai Jiao Tong University currently houses 35 specialized laboratories. Since 2021, this institute has provided learning opportunities and resources in various key and emerging technology fields for Chinese graduate and undergraduate students on the Michigan campus. It has also received funding from China’s 863 Program, aimed at supporting military technology development.
The researchers at this institute have helped China advance defense technologies, from propulsion combustion modeling and solid rocket fuel research to military aircraft corrosion technology developed jointly with researchers from the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University are also suspected of utilizing research outcomes from the University of Michigan to enhance CT imaging technology for detecting defects in advanced military equipment.
Moolenaar further requested the University of Michigan to conduct a thorough review of international students studying there.
In early October, U.S. authorities accused five Chinese citizens studying at the joint research institute at the University of Michigan of lying and attempting to cover up their actions of taking photos at a remote military base in Michigan.
Regarding this matter, Moolenaar stated, “All universities in our country must shut down joint institutions with Chinese universities and establish stricter protective measures for research on emerging technologies. U.S. universities must recognize that they have become targets of espionage and should strive to protect critical research funded by taxpayers.”