American Republicans encourage U.S. institutions of higher learning to sever connections with a Chinese-funded scholarship program.
In a recent development, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has expressed deep concern over the China Scholarship Council (CSC), a Chinese government-funded programme that sponsors hundreds of Chinese graduate students annually to study at American institutions. The committee alleges that the CSC is not just a benign academic exchange, but a covert tool for Chinese government technology transfer and espionage within U.S. universities, posing a significant national security threat.
Key concerns include the requirement for scholars to return to China for at least two years after graduation, raising fears that the knowledge and research gained in the U.S. will be transferred back to China’s military and strategic programs. Scholarship recipients are also reportedly required to submit quarterly reports on their research, publications, and ideological progress to Chinese diplomatic missions in the U.S., indicating potential surveillance and ideological control by the CCP.
Certain universities, such as Dartmouth, Temple, Notre Dame, and campuses of the University of California, host significant numbers of CSC-sponsored students. In some cases, these institutions share tuition and stipend costs, which may indirectly involve U.S. federal research funding supporting scholars linked to the CSC. There is also concern that these students may have been involved in research projects funded by the U.S. government, which could inadvertently facilitate technology transfer to China.
As a result, the House Select Committee has sent letters to seven major U.S. universities, demanding transparency and records related to the CSC’s activities on their campuses and urging them to cut ties with the CSC to protect U.S. national security. This action is part of broader congressional efforts to reduce Chinese influence in American academia and addresses fears that academic partnerships are vulnerable to exploitation by the CCP for strategic gain.
However, not all universities are taking this request lightly. The University of California, for instance, values international students and global academic partnerships and follows all federal laws to protect sensitive research. The University of Tennessee is reviewing the committee's request to end its participation in the program, while Notre Dame began the process of terminating its association with the program earlier this year.
The House committee is opening a review into the program's "infiltration" of U.S. universities and has demanded records related to the program from all seven institutions. Dartmouth College has had fewer than 10 participants in the program over the last decade and has already decided to end its participation.
President Donald Trump and House Republicans have stepped up scrutiny of Chinese students coming to the U.S., and have taken actions such as revoking visas from some Chinese students studying in "critical fields" and restricting visas for students affiliated with China's "military-civil fusion strategy."
It is important to note that China is the second-largest country of origin for foreign students in the U.S., behind only India, with more than 270,000 international students from China in the 2023-24 academic year, making up roughly a quarter of all foreign students in the United States.
The CSC is a Chinese-funded study abroad program that sponsors hundreds of Chinese graduate students at U.S. universities annually. The report argues that China's academic collaborations serve as "Trojan horses for technology transfer," accusing China of "insidious" exploitation of academic cooperation. Lawmakers are demanding documents showing whether scholarship recipients worked on research funded by the U.S. government.
Many U.S. universities acknowledge a need to improve research security but caution against treating Chinese scholars with hostility and suspicion, saying only small numbers have been involved in espionage. Some universities, such as Dartmouth, split the cost of attendance with China, covering 50% of tuition and providing a stipend to doctoral students.
In May, House Republicans issued a report finding that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding had gone toward research that boosted Chinese advancements in artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology, and nuclear weapons. The report highlights the potential risks associated with academic partnerships and the need for increased vigilance to protect U.S. national security.
- The investigation by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has expanded to include concerns surrounding education-and-self-development policies, as they pertain to the China Scholarship Council (CSC), in light of potential threats to U.S. national security and general-news reports of covert technology transfer and espionage within U.S. universities.
- Amidst efforts to reduce Chinese influence in American academia, policy-and-legislation discussions are taking place, focusing on the implications of academic partnerships with China and the need for increased learning about the risks associated with such partnerships, in light of recent allegations and congressional investigations into the CSC.
