Due to national security concerns, the University of Michigan has decided to terminate its cooperation with Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. The decision comes after five Chinese students involved in the collaborative project were facing criminal charges for engaging in suspicious activities outside a remote military base several months ago.
In a letter to U.S. lawmakers, University of Michigan President Santa Ono stated that after a thorough review, the university has initiated a six-month process to “formally terminate” its collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Ono emphasized that while the University of Michigan values international academic cooperation, they also place a high priority on national security issues and will conduct more thorough reviews of visa applications for international students.
This is the latest case of a U.S. university cutting ties with a Chinese institution. In recent years, many U.S. lawmakers have warned that American universities may inadvertently assist the Chinese Communist Party in acquiring crucial technologies to enhance the military capabilities of the People’s Liberation Army.
Prior to this decision, institutions like the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley have also announced plans to terminate their collaboration with academic units in China.
In August 2023, five Chinese students from the University of Michigan were found near Camp Grayling in Michigan in the early hours of the morning. At the time, thousands of individuals were engaged in summer military exercises at the base.
In the darkness, a sergeant from the Utah National Guard discovered the five students, one of whom claimed, “We are media,” before packing up their belongings and agreeing to leave the area.
Although they were not charged for this incident, they later misled investigators about the purpose of their presence and conspired to delete photos from their phones. In October last year, the U.S. federal court filed criminal charges against the five individuals for lying and attempting to cover up their activities.
Currently, these five individuals are likely not in the United States and have not appeared in court.
In response to these developments, Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent a letter to President Ono requesting the cessation of collaboration with Chinese universities.
Moolenaar wrote in the letter that Shanghai Jiao Tong University possesses “a large number of military-related departments and laboratories, advanced military-civil fusion research projects, and large-scale combat training platforms,” which could contribute to the modernization of the Chinese military and enhance its intelligence capabilities.
On Friday, January 10th, President Ono informed Moolenaar of the decision to terminate cooperation with Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
In 2020, two Chinese citizens pursuing master’s degrees at the University of Michigan were sentenced to prison for illegally filming the Naval Air Station Key West in Florida.
Last October, a Chinese student from the University of Michigan was accused of illegally voting during early voting.
(This article referenced relevant reports from the Associated Press)