BURSTThe heads of two House committees have written a letter to the president of Duke University advising the North Carolina school to end its partnership with Wuhan University in China.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), the chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), the chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee, sent the letter Wednesday regarding concerns about China gaining access to U.S. research.
“Wuhan University is not an ordinary academic institution. It is a direct extension of the Chinese military and intelligence apparatus,” the two Republicans wrote.
The partnership between the two schools created Duke Kunshan University (DKU), which enrolls some 3,000 individuals and allows students to travel between the United States and China.
“As part of these programs, many DKU students spend time at Duke University, gaining access to federally funded U.S. research. Given the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) well documented efforts to exploit U.S. academic openness, this partnership creates a direct pipeline between U.S. innovation and China’s military-industrial complex,” the two committee leaders wrote.
“Additionally, the website for DKU includes a page dedicated to PRC [People's Republic of China] military training. The page shows students in uniforms participating in hand-to-hand combat and shooting drills. That Duke would lend its name to military training for the PRC is appalling,” they added.
Multiple other U.S. colleges have severed ties with Chinese institutions, including Oakland University and the University of Michigan.
"Duke is in receipt of Rep. Moolenaar and Rep. Walberg’s letter. Duke respects Congress’ important oversight role and will work to further educate Congress about Duke’s global education mission," a spokesperson for the university said.
The letter also points to an incident reported in The Assembly when dozens of Duke students went to China and were bombarded by local media and encouraged to say things such as “I love China.”
“This was not education but exploitation,” the lawmakers wrote.
The letter comes at a heightened time of tension with China amid President Trump’s trade war with the country. It may also create worries for Duke University as the Trump administration has shown it is not afraid to pull funding from schools with programs it opposes.
“Given your university’s federal funding, your partnerships with PRC military-linked institutions represent a national security risk. These PRC collaborations jeopardize the integrity of U.S. research, risk the exploitation of sensitive technologies, and undermine taxpayer investments intended to strengthen America’s technological and defense capabilities. The security of America’s technological edge cannot be compromised. Therefore, you should end your PRC collaborations to prevent further PRC exploitation of U.S. research capabilities and taxpayer investments,” the letter concluded.
Updated 2:20 p.m. EDT