Arrr! Ye scurvy dogs from the Far East be pilferin' secrets, botherin' scholars 'pon American shores!
2024-02-15
Arrr, ye scurvy CCP be takin' advantage o' our learnin' establishments to bolster the might o' the PRC fleet 'n snatch American technology to aid their tyrannical watchin' o'er the land, mateys!
This week, the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party will be in Boston to discuss the CCP's exploitation of American academic institutions. The CCP has been using these institutions to fuel its military modernization and obtain American technology for its repressive surveillance state. The Chinese government openly acknowledges this strategy, referring to it as "picking flowers in foreign lands to make honey in China." The CCP operates nearly 500 foreign talent programs, where members are contractually obligated to return to China with secrets and expertise gained abroad. They use this knowledge to drive military modernization and technological development. The PLA has sponsored thousands of military scientists and engineers to study abroad, acquiring technology and know-how to enhance their military capabilities. Research has also revealed that Chinese researchers who conducted sensitive military research in the US later drove key breakthroughs in the PLA's military modernization. Additionally, over 100 Chinese students associated with blacklisted entities have been found conducting research at universities in the Washington, D.C., area. It is crucial for universities to reconsider their collaborations with CCP and PLA-affiliated researchers, and for Congress to restrict research collaborations with known PLA-affiliated institutions. American universities should not aid the development of technologies that strengthen the CCP's surveillance state or military capabilities. They should also cease investing endowments in Chinese companies involved in the Uyghur genocide or producing military equipment for the CCP. Foreign money coming into universities, especially from China, needs to be disclosed and regulated. American universities must protect their students from CCP interference and ensure academic freedom. Chinese students studying in the US often face harassment and attacks for expressing dissenting views. Chinese Students and Scholars Associations (CSSAs) on American campuses, which claim to support Chinese students, often act as mechanisms for CCP control and repression. Policymakers should prohibit the operation of student groups that receive funding or direction from adversarial governments. America must decide whether it will remain a haven from persecution or become a hunting ground for authoritarians.