On May 7, the independent publication “Stanford Review” of Stanford University in the United States released an in-depth investigative report exposing the various ways in which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been operating a spy network at Stanford University for a long time. These methods include infiltration through false identities, social enticement, familial coercion, demanding loyalty guarantees, targeting students and professors engaged in sensitive research, and collecting intelligence information. The report has sparked widespread attention from various parties.
According to the report published by the Stanford Review on Wednesday, based on interviews conducted between July 2024 and April 2025, involving Stanford faculty and staff, current and former students, as well as experts specializing in CCP intelligence operations and technical theft.
The report cited a specific case in which a CCP special agent posing as a Stanford University student named Charles Chen made contact with several Stanford students, many of whom were female, through social media.
One female student named Anna, who specialized in studying Chinese issues and was interviewed for the report, disclosed that initially, Charles’s questions seemed harmless, inquiring about interpersonal relationships in the university and whether she spoke Mandarin, among other topics. However, he quickly encouraged Anna to visit Beijing, offering to pay for her travel expenses and even sent a screenshot of his bank account balance to prove he could purchase her flight ticket.
Concerningly, Charles mentioned personal information about Anna that she had never disclosed before. He also urged her to communicate solely through the China version of WeChat, a platform highly monitored by the CCP. When Charles requested Anna to delete screenshots of their conversations, she contacted campus security.
The investigation revealed that over the years, Charles Chen had been impersonating a Stanford student under multiple aliases, contacting mostly female Stanford students.
A Chinese issues expert who assisted Anna indicated that Charles Chen was likely a special agent from China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS), tasked with identifying Stanford students who were not opposed to the CCP and collecting relevant information.
The report exposed that the CCP has been employing non-traditional methods to gather intelligence at Stanford University. The Chinese state security apparatus uses civilians unrelated to the intelligence community to gather and report sensitive information.
China’s 2017 National Intelligence Law mandates that all Chinese citizens, regardless of their location, must support and cooperate with intelligence work.
The intelligence collection targets may not necessarily involve stealing confidential documents but could entail quietly extracting the processes and secrets behind American technological innovation. This includes conclusions of Stanford research projects, methodologies, software, laboratory workflows, collaboration structures, and even communication channels.
Anonymous Stanford faculty members stated that within Stanford University, particularly in artificial intelligence and robotics fields, this non-traditional intelligence gathering targeting sensitive technologies is widespread.
A knowledgeable Chinese issues expert who wished to remain anonymous confirmed that among approximately 1129 Chinese international students on campus, some have been actively reporting information to the CCP.
The China Scholarship Council (CSC) funds approximately 15% of Chinese international students, who are considered the main force in collecting sensitive information.
Previous reports by Radio Free Asia corroborated this claim. Chinese international students sponsored by the CSC are required to sign so-called “integrity commitments” to the CCP. If students violate these commitments to assist the CCP, their guarantors (usually family members) will face penalties.
Stanford University professor Larry Diamond pointed out that Chinese international students who say anything supportive of the Dalai Lama, criticize Beijing’s stance, or condemn China’s (CCP’s) authoritarianism may receive warnings, while their family members in China may encounter trouble.
In an exclusive interview with the Stanford Review, former Director for China Affairs at the National Security Council, Matthew Turpin, mentioned that the Chinese government spends significant time collecting data on its overseas students, understanding who is doing what. If someone works in fields of interest (e.g., cutting-edge technology), the government easily contacts them. They employ a “carrot and stick” strategy – provide information for rewards, or face punishments for not providing it.
Chinese citizens with family members in China may also be coerced to share sensitive information. If they refuse, their family members will face severe consequences. Turpin described how the Chinese authorities “take parents and relatives to speak with the police to encourage Chinese citizens to provide information.” These are tactics we have seen before.
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray previously referred to China’s academic research theft as one of the “largest transfers of wealth in human history.”
The report from the Stanford Review highlighted that during their investigation, Stanford professors, students, and researchers could easily recount their experiences with CCP spies, but chose to refrain from discussing it publicly.
The report stated: “The CCP’s multinational repression, $64 million in Chinese funding, and politically correct ‘racial qualification charges’ have led to a pervasive culture of silence both inside and outside Stanford University.”
The Stanford Review wrote, “It is this prevailing silence that prompted us to write this report. After interviewing numerous anonymous Stanford faculty, students, and Chinese experts, we confirm that the CCP is conducting extensive intelligence collection activities at Stanford University. In short, ‘There are Chinese (CCP) spies at Stanford’.”