The US House of Representatives released a new 39-page report on Friday, September 12, categorizing about 50 US-China educational cooperation projects as “high-risk” and warning that these projects threaten US national security. Lawmakers bluntly stated that these collaborations “must be terminated”.
The report was jointly issued by the US House of Representatives Special Committee on China and the Committee on Education and Labor. According to the report, these joint colleges and degree programs, mostly focused on science and technology, operate under Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control, allowing Beijing to gain long-term access to US expertise.
The committees emphasized that these joint institutions established in China by US universities and Chinese institutions (Joint Institutes) are not typical academic collaborations benefiting students from both countries.
“They are entirely controlled by the CCP. These institutions operate under Chinese law, with boards of directors mostly composed of Chinese nationals, leadership with ties to CCP membership, and their operations fully in line with CCP’s national strategies, including military expansion plans. The CCP authorities dominate the funding of these joint institutions, where the funds must adhere to CCP’s goals…especially in military-related technology fields.”
“Ultimately, American institutions agree to accept restrictions imposed by the CCP on academic freedom, speech, and governance,” the lawmakers stated.
The report indicated that, in response to US Congressional concerns, eight US universities have chosen to close their joint institutions with China to uphold academic freedom and US national security. These universities include the University of California, Berkeley, Georgia Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, Oakland University, University of Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan University, and University of Illinois.
However, more universities have yet to take action. The committees named several universities last fall with high-risk joint colleges, but these institutions have not acted. They include: Duke University, University of Arizona, University of Delaware, Drake University, University of Houston, Kean University, University of Miami, New York University, University of North Alabama, Northeastern Illinois University (Talakawa Campus), Portland State University, State University of New York – Stony Brook, and Trine University.
The committees also identified ongoing high-risk cooperation projects, including:
– Physics research institute jointly operated by New York University and East China Normal University. The East China Normal University has the “Precision Spectroscopy National Key Laboratory” cooperating with the blacklisted China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) by the United States. At least one professor from New York University works in this joint research institute and receives over a million RMB in funding from the CCP’s “Thousand Talents Program” for quantum computing research.
– Three joint degree programs between US universities and China’s “Seven Sons of National Defense” universities, including a master’s program in management information systems between Harbin Institute of Technology and the University of Arizona, an undergraduate program in accounting between Beijing Institute of Technology and Bryant University, and an undergraduate course in international economics between Beijing Institute of Technology and Utah State University.
The report also noted that some collaborations are directly related to military research and development, such as:
– Submarine engineering research between the University of Houston and Dalian Maritime University.
– Joint degree program in aerospace propulsion engineering between Southern Illinois University Carbondale and Shenyang Aerospace University, overseen by the “China Aviation Industry Corporation.” This corporation is on the US Department of Defense blacklist and is the developer of China’s fifth-generation stealth fighter.
– Mechanical design and automation program between Saint Martin’s University, Washington, and North China Aerospace Industry College, controlled by a military enterprise on the US blacklist, involved in the production of Long March rockets and other missiles.
Chairman of the US House Special Committee on China, John Moolenaar, emphasized in a statement, “American universities should never support the CCP’s military ambitions, and this report reveals astonishing details of their cooperation with CCP-controlled institutions. These collaborations benefit the People’s Liberation Army of China and misuse the research results funded by American taxpayers.”
Chairman of the Committee on Education and Labor, Tim Walberg, stated, “No US university should assist the CCP through dangerous research collaborations, most of which are disguised under the guise of ‘pure academia.'”
“This is why we need legislation like the DETERRENT Act and the SAFE Research Act to protect our nation from malicious foreign influences,” added Walberg.
The SAFE Research Act stipulates that any project related to the Chinese military or intelligence sector cannot receive federal research funds. This act has been included in the 2026 Fiscal Year National Defense Authorization Act and was passed by the House of Representatives on September 10.
Moreover, the DETERRENT Act reduces the threshold for reporting foreign donations to US universities from $250,000 to $50,000. The bill specifically requires funds from 12 “concerned countries” such as China, Russia, and Iran to be reported and prohibits collaboration with these countries. The legislation passed the House of Representatives in March and is awaiting Senate review.
This is not the first time Congress has issued warnings. A report released last year revealed that research funds from the US Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and National Science Foundation indirectly aided China’s advancements in sensitive areas such as nuclear technology, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.
Earlier this month, another report titled “Fox in the Henhouse” revealed that research programs funded by the US Department of Defense had produced over 1,400 academic papers in cooperation with China, approximately 800 of which directly involved collaboration with Chinese military entities.