U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, on Sept. 24 congratulated several American universities for ending their joint programs associated with the Chinese Scholarship Council (CSC).
The congressman called the CSC “a dangerous technology transfer initiative” that advances China’s authoritarian ambitions.
“By stepping up to protect their campuses from malign foreign influence, these U.S. institutions are demonstrating real leadership and a commitment to safeguarding U.S. research and innovation,” Rep. Moolenaar said. “I hope more schools will follow their lead, putting the integrity of American science and our national security first.”
Rep. Moolenaar commended seven universities — Dartmouth College; Temple University; the University of California, Davis; the University of California, Irvine; the University of California, Riverside; the University of Notre Dame; and the University of Tennessee.
Their closures of the CSC followed receipt this summer of investigatory letters sent by the Select Committee that detailed the dangers associated with the council, which Rep. Moolenaar called a CCP-managed technology transfer effort that exploits U.S. institutions and directly supports China’s military and scientific growth.
In those July letters, he also called on the seven universities to close their programs.
“Unlike other international student programs, the CSC has faced increasing scrutiny and criticism due to concerns over academic freedom, surveillance of students, ideological control, and potential espionage,” wrote Rep. Moolenaar in the letters. “For example, CSC mandates that sponsored students return to the PRC upon completing their studies and serve the PRC for at least two years.”