Campus Reform: Lawmakers apply pressure, Eastern Michigan ends CCP-linked ties
Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has ended its partnerships with Beibu Gulf University and Guangxi University—which are both linked to China’s military and national defense programs.
The news was announced on June 3 following pressure from Republican congressmen.
Rep. John Moolenaar, chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Tim Walberg, chair of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, previously urged EMU to sever ties with the Chinese schools.
“The research at your university is funded by the American people and it must be protected,” the lawmakers wrote in a Feb. 18 letter.
“The [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,” the letter reads.
The lawmakers noted that Beibu Gulf University’s Maritime College trains students as wartime reserve forces supporting China’s military activity in the South China Sea. Guangxi University is involved in national defense initiatives directed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Their concerns are mirrored in a recent research security report from the House Committee on Education and the Workforce that warned of national security risks and misuse of taxpayer-funded academic resources.
Following the letter, EMU confirmed it had terminated the partnerships.
Moolenaar praised the decision, stating that, “University affiliations with CCP collaborators pose a direct threat to U.S. research and technology. The CCP is committed to exploiting our economic and national security, and partnerships like these give them direct access to do so.”
Walberg echoed this sentiment. “EMU’s decision to end its partnerships with these Chinese Communist Party-controlled schools is a strong first step to protecting American national security,” he said.
University president James Smith emphasized that the agreements were limited to teaching programs and did not involve research or technology sharing.
“EMU takes seriously the importance of protecting U.S. national security,” said Smith. “We are proud of our longstanding designation by the U.S. National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense education.”
The institution joins other universities across the country that have also terminated partnerships with Chinese universities over national security concerns, including the University of Michigan.