US House Panel Report Says Biden Administration Backed $2.5B Research Collab With China

Washington DC [US]: The House Select Committee on China has issued an investigative report stating that under Biden administration, the Defence Department, along with long-time career officials, has permitted significant research collaborations with defense entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party while utilizing funds from US taxpayers, as outlined in a release from the Select Committee on the CCP (SCCCP). The report identified over 1,400 research publications associated with DOD-funded initiatives involving Chinese collaborators, totaling more than USD 2.5 billion in taxpayer funding. Around 800 of these publications, which is more than half, represented direct cooperation with Chinese military entities. Several case studies highlighted in the report indicate serious national security threats. 

‘Defense Collaborations Pose Threats’

For instance, a DOD-funded nuclear expert at Carnegie Science primarily conducted research for the Pentagon while simultaneously holding dual positions at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Hefei Institute of Physical Sciences, as mentioned in the release. In another instance, the Office of Naval Research, the Army Research Office, and NASA supported a partnership among researchers from Arizona State University, the University of Texas, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Beihang University, focusing on high-stakes decision-making in uncertain environments, which has relevant implications for cyber warfare and defense. It is important to note that Beihang University is part of the Seven Sons of National Defense, a university recognized for its close defense connections with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), according to the SCCCP release. In a third case, a 2024 publication concerning nanoscale optical devices, financed by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), was co-authored with researchers from the City University of New York, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Sun Yat-sen University, Wuhan University of Technology, and the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT).

Both Huazhong University of Science and Technology and Sun Yat-sen University are jointly administered by China’s State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND), an organization responsible for conducting research for the PLA. CALT serves as China’s principal base for the development and production of missile weapons and launch vehicles, overseeing the creation of both hypersonic missiles and reusable launch vehicles.

“This report follows the September 2024 investigation by Select Committee Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) and former House Education and Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), which uncovered that hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. federal research funding over the last decade have contributed to China’s technological advancements and military modernization,” as quoted by the SCCCP release.

Several concerning gaps in policy have been identified, including the fact that DOD R&E has not effectively revised its risk assessment framework or enforcement measures. For instance, DOD has incorporated only a minor portion of China’s recognized talent acquisition programs and defense-designated research facilities into the 1286 List, despite numerous analyses from both governmental and private sectors identifying many additional entities. Currently, DOD R&E allows research collaborations in fundamental research with organizations that DOD has classified as national security threats under the DOD 1260H List, which renders the list essentially ineffective and weakens its own research security framework, as pointed out in the SCCCP release. The new report from the Select Committee strongly emphasizes that there is no rationale for US taxpayer-funded research to be carried out with entities known to have been involved in human rights violations or to support China’s extensive surveillance system.