In a new 39-page report releasRepublicans in the US House of Representatives have escalated their campaign against academic partnerships with China, calling for dozens of joint programmes to be terminated.ed Friday, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce identified nearly 50 active collaborations as “high-risk.”
The report specifically flagged joint degree programmes in science and technology, arguing that they provide Beijing with “sustained access to US expertise.” It cited examples including a physics institute between New York University and East China Normal University, a public health doctorate programme by Johns Hopkins University and Tsinghua University, and MBA and bioengineering degrees co-run with Chinese universities.
“These partnerships must end,” said Congressman John Moolenaar of Michigan, chair of the House panel, in a video statement. The committees warned that collaborations linked to China’s “seven sons of national defence,” military-focused entities, or defence-related end-uses present a particular national security risk.
The move comes amid wider Republican pressure to curb academic exchange with China. In recent years, several partnerships—ranging from research giants like the University of Michigan to smaller institutions—have been shuttered. At the same time, President Donald Trump has pledged to allow 600,000 Chinese students into the US, more than double current levels, underscoring divisions in Washington’s approach.
Beijing has defended the partnerships, calling them “mutually beneficial” and encouraging more Americans to study in China. But with the House also advancing legislation to restrict federal science funding for researchers tied to Chinese entities, the scrutiny is only set to intensify.
