Following the urging of U.S. congressmen, Oakland University announced that it will terminate all cooperation projects with three Chinese universities. American legislators expressed concerns that these collaborative relationships could result in the leakage of U.S. research findings, potentially granting technological advantages to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives sent a letter in PDF format to Oakland University, located in Michigan, demanding the termination of partnerships with Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, and Beijing Information Science and Technology University.
The letter highlighted that the Chinese regime systematically exploits the open research environment in the United States, engaging in espionage and other hostile activities. The collaboration between Oakland University and Chinese academic institutions has raised significant national security concerns.
In the letter, it was stated, “Collaboration with China jeopardizes the security of U.S. research, poses risks of sensitive technology theft, and undermines taxpayer investments aimed at enhancing U.S. technology and defense capabilities.”
John Moolenaar emphasized in a statement that Changchun University of Science and Technology openly declares its mission to “be a cradle of Chinese optical talents and shoulder the responsibility of advancing defense technology.” The university is a “province-ministry joint construction” university jointly managed by the Jilin Provincial Government and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Defense Technology Industrial Bureau, maintaining close ties with Beijing.
Moolenaar pointed out that Beijing Information Science and Technology University also claims to play an important role in People’s Liberation Army research, boasting of making “indelible contributions to defense technology.” Zhengzhou University of Light Industry has been recognized by the municipal government as an “advanced unit in defense education.”
In response, Kevin Corcoran, interim vice president and provost of Oakland University, told Crain’s Detroit Business, “Our institution understands and agrees with the concerns expressed in the letter and will terminate all cooperation plans with the three Chinese institutions mentioned in the letter.”
Corcoran stated that Oakland University had already conducted a review of joint research and began the process of ending these projects at the end of 2024.
He further commented, “Our university places great importance on safeguarding U.S. research capabilities, intellectual property, and taxpayer investments, preventing exploitation and use by the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
Apart from Oakland University, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Detroit Mercy have also received similar letters.
Eastern Michigan University stated that they abide by all federal laws concerning information and technology transfer and are “carefully assessing” the concerns raised in the congressmen’s letters, planning to respond soon.
Donald Taylor, president of the University of Detroit Mercy, mentioned that the university has received letters from congressmen and is planning a review process. He added that the university is reassessing collaborations with four Chinese universities and will promptly inform Moolenaar and Walberg after making a decision.
Last year, U.S. lawmakers also issued similar warnings to the University of Michigan. On January 10th of this year, the University of Michigan announced the termination of its 20-year academic collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.
Furthermore, under the urging of congressmen, institutions like the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley have also announced the termination of their joint research programs with Chinese entities.
Moving forward, in consideration of national security, it is expected that U.S.-China academic exchanges will face stricter scrutiny to prevent taxpayer funds from flowing into projects that could aid the development of military technologies by the Chinese Communist Party, posing threats to the United States.