Eastern Michigan University, Oakland University, and the University of Detroit Mercy must end their partnerships with Chinese universities, according to three separate letters sent to the institutions by U.S. Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
In each of the Feb. 18 letters, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), chairman of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee, joined Rep. Moolenaar in calling on the Michigan universities to end their ties with institutions of higher education in China.
“The research at your university is funded by the American people and it must be protected,” the lawmakers wrote. “The PRC [People’s Republic of China] systematically exploits the open research environment in the United States — actively engaging in theft, espionage, and other hostile actions against U.S. universities perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).”
In these partnerships, the Michigan universities are directly interacting with Chinese institutions that support the Chinese military and its efforts to gain a technological advantage over the United States, according to the letters.
The universities’ partnerships also jeopardize the security of research that is funded by American taxpayers through the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, and other agencies, wrote the members.
For instance, Eastern Michigan University has partnerships with Beibu Gulf University and Guangxi University.
Beibu’s Maritime College trains students as wartime reserve forces under semi-military management, operating a $2.5 million simulation complex that has prepared over 20,000 personnel at the China-ASEAN Waterborne Training Base. This training directly supports the CCP’s attempts to claim the territory of U.S. partners in the South China Sea.
Guangxi is part of China’s 211 Project, which aims to develop elite universities to support key national priorities, including “economic and social development, technological progress, and national defense construction,” according to the letter.
Meanwhile, Oakland University has partnerships with Changchun University of Science and Technology, Zhengzhou University of Light Industry, and Beijing Information Science and Technology University.
Changchun University, for example, openly declares its mission as “becoming a cradle for China’s optical science talents, with a mission deeply rooted in advancing national defense technologies,” while Beijing Information Science and Technology University plays an important role in the country’s military research.
Additionally, the University of Detroit Mercy (UDM) has dual-degree programs with Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Yancheng Institute of Technology, and Anhui Polytechnic University.
Through these programs, Chinese students spend three years studying in the PRC before transferring to UDM for their senior year and master’s degrees. At UDM they have direct access to its Center for Automotive Systems Engineering Education where they are exposed to advanced technologies with potential civilian and military technological uses.
“The university’s PRC collaborations jeopardize the integrity of U.S. research, risk the exploitation of sensitive technologies, and undermine taxpayer investments intended to strengthen America’s technological and defense capabilities,” wrote Rep. Moolenaar and his colleague in each letter. “You must immediately terminate these collaborations to prevent further PRC exploitation of U.S. research capabilities and taxpayer investments.”
The letters follow the September 2024 release of a research security report released by Reps. Moolenaar’s and Walberg’s committees that detailed the risks of U.S. universities collaborating with PRC researchers on emerging technologies.
In response to previous letters, the Georgia Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Michigan have already announced terminations of their joint institutes.