US lawmakers accuse Chinese students of espionage, push universities for data

The Chinese government has demanded protections for its students in the US after a congressional committee asked six universities to hand over information about Chinese students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (Stem) programmes.

Carnegie Mellon University, Purdue University, Stanford University, the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, and the University of Southern California on Thursday were sent letters by the chair of the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, who alleges that Beijing is embedding its students in top research programmes “to illegally gain access to critical research and advanced technology”.

Committee chair John Moolenaar stated in his letter that the United States was at “a dangerous crossroads where the pursuit of short-term financial gains by academic institutions jeopardizes long-term global technological leadership and national security”.

He added that the intelligence community had warned that campuses are "soft targets" for espionage and intellectual property theft and declared that the country’s student visa system is a "Trojan Horse for Beijing”.

"US universities inadvertently act as incubators for China's technological and military advancements,” the letter said.

The letters include requests for information on funding sources and the type of research carried out by Chinese students. They also seek information about policies in place to prevent foreign nationals from working on projects tied to US government grants.

In response, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, urged the US to “stop overstretching the concept of national security” and to “protect the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese students” in the country.

Mao told reporters that Chinese students make up about 25 percent of all foreign students in the US and contribute to its “economic prosperity and technological development”.

In recent years, US universities have widely welcomed Chinese students as a key funding source, as they often pay full international tuition.

However, Moolenaar expressed alarm at the number of Chinese students and accused university administrators of displacing American students.

“The significant tuition revenue generated by international students - many of whom pay full tuition - has caused elite universities to become financially dependent on foreign enrollment, particularly from China. This reliance on foreign students, especially those from adversarial nations, raises serious concerns about the displacement of American talent, the outsourcing of expertise, and the long-term implication for US technological leadership and economic security.”

The letters follow a bill introduced last week (on 14 March) by Republican Representative Riley Moore of West Virginia to stop Chinese citizens from receiving visas to study in the US or attend exchange programmes. He accused the students of being spies.

Moore introduced the bill known as the “Stop CCP Visas Act” to Congress, though it is not expected to pass due to widespread opposition and concerns that it could hurt US interests.

Critics argue the bill is reminiscent of the Chinese Exclusion Act, which restricted Chinese immigration to the US from 1882 to 1943.