House Committee says Harvard's China ties risk U.S. research security
A House select committee report alleges Harvard collaborated on over 140 papers with Chinese universities linked to the PLA and received more than $600 million in Chinese gifts, raising national-security concerns.
The House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party released a report accusing Harvard of insufficient safeguards in its collaborations with Chinese universities tied to Beijing’s military and defense sectors, citing more than 140 joint papers with the so-called “Seven Sons of National Defense.” The committee highlights a 2023 study on bio-inspired soft robots co-authored with Beihang University and another on magnetic materials with the National University of Defense Technology, both linked to potential military uses.
Harvard disclosed receiving over $600 million from China under the Section 117 foreign-gift system, the largest sum for any American university. The report also scrutinizes an executive-education program that listed officials from the sanctioned Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. Committee chair Rep. John Moolenaar urges Harvard to prohibit ties with entities on U.S. restricted or sanctioned lists and to centralize research-security oversight, while recommending Congress tighten foreign-funding disclosure rules for universities.
Why it matters
The findings suggest U.S. research may be aiding Chinese military advances, prompting calls for tighter oversight of academic partnerships.
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