Harvard University allegedly failed to sufficiently protect its research collaborations with Chinese institutions, including universities linked to China’s military and defense sectors. This claim comes from a report by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
The report, reviewed by Fox News Digital, details that Harvard researchers co-authored over 140 publications with researchers from several Chinese universities. These include the ‘Seven Sons of National Defense,’ a group identified by the Pentagon as central to China’s military modernization efforts.
According to the House Committee, Harvard’s approach to research security allowed collaborations that might enhance China’s technological and military capabilities. The report also states that Harvard received over $600 million from China under the federal Section 117 foreign-gift disclosure system, which is more than any other American university, as noted by the Education Department dashboard.
“It is crucial for universities like Harvard, which receive U.S. taxpayer funding, to maintain strict oversight of research partnerships, especially those involving foreign entities,” the committee argued.
Concerns about U.S. universities’ partnerships with Chinese institutions extend beyond Harvard. U.S. officials have cautioned that China exploits academic partnerships to advance strategic capabilities in military and surveillance sectors.
One highlighted example involves a 2023 research paper on bio-inspired soft robots for deep-sea exploration. This study, co-authored by a Harvard-affiliated researcher and a colleague from Beihang University, one of the ‘Seven Sons,’ has potential military applications. Beihang University has been on the Commerce Department’s Entity List since 2001 due to such concerns.
Furthermore, Harvard researchers collaborated on another 2023 paper with a researcher from China’s National University of Defense Technology, another restricted institution. This study involves magnetic materials with potential military uses and received partial support from the U.S. Army Research Office.
The committee report also scrutinizes Harvard’s executive education program with China’s National Healthcare Security Administration. This program trained Chinese health officials on international health insurance systems. Records indicate officials from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, sanctioned by the Treasury Department in 2020 for human rights abuses, were involved in some sessions.
According to the report, Harvard professor Winnie Yip, who organized the program, was unaware of the sanctions against XPCC and had not received compliance training. The committee argues that Harvard’s research-security practices focus too much on legal compliance, ignoring broader national security risks.
Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar emphasized the need for Harvard to reform its practices, stating, “Harvard must prioritize the security of American research and act to remove CCP influence on campus.”
The report also questions the role of Harvard Global Research and Support Services, a nonprofit possibly used to evade federal foreign-gift reporting requirements, though Harvard is expected to contest this allegation.
The committee recommends that Harvard discontinue research partnerships with entities listed on U.S. government restrictions or sanctions and improve its research-security oversight. Additionally, it urges Congress to enhance foreign-funding disclosure rules for universities.