The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party claims that Harvard University did not adequately secure its research partnerships with Chinese institutions, some with connections to China’s military. A report reviewed by Fox News Digital suggests that researchers from the university co-authored over 140 papers with those from Chinese universities.
The ‘Seven Sons of National Defense,’ a group of Chinese universities identified by U.S. officials, are key to China’s defense research. The committee feels that Harvard’s approach may have facilitated advancements in China’s military technology.
Recent reports indicate that Harvard received over $600 million from China, the highest among U.S. universities, according to the Education Department’s disclosure system. This financial connection underscores the importance of monitoring research partnerships closely.
Banners hang from Memorial Church on Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Sophie Park/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
U.S. officials have long warned about China’s use of academic partnerships to strengthen its military and surveillance capabilities. The House Committee emphasizes that American universities receiving taxpayer funding must exceed minimal legal standards in collaborating with Chinese military-aligned institutions.
A significant 2023 publication focused on bio-inspired robots for deep-sea exploration involved a Harvard researcher and an academic from Beihang University, part of the restricted ‘Seven Sons.’ The paper’s findings might benefit military applications such as underwater detection, even though Harvard’s compliance office classified it as nonmilitary research.
Harvard researchers also co-authored a study with China’s National University of Defense Technology. The paper involved magnetic materials and had partial support from the U.S. Army Research Office.
The committee reviewed extensive research across various fields, with engineering leading these collaborations. The chairman of the committee, Rep. John Moolenaar, urged Harvard to implement reforms to reduce Chinese influence on campus and enhance the security of research.
The report scrutinizes an executive education program involving China’s National Healthcare Security Administration. Some attendees were linked to the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a group sanctioned over human-rights abuses. The report questions whether XPCC officials participated in all sessions.
The committee criticizes Harvard’s research-security focus for sticking mainly to legal compliance, neglecting broader national-security risks from some collaborations. John H. Shaw, a Harvard research official, mentioned that the university assesses partnerships individually rather than banning work with Chinese institutions entirely.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews troops in Macau, December 2024. (Li Gang/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Concerns also surround Harvard Global Research and Support Services, a nonprofit that might bypass foreign-gift reporting mandates. This allegation raises questions as Congress seeks stronger foreign-funding disclosure standards for universities.