Chinese scientists embraced by U.S. colleges worked with Chinese military-linked firms

Arecent watchdog report revealed that several top-ranked American universities have brought in Chinese academics who have links to Chinese military-linked technology firms like tech behemoth Huawei and other Chinese firms linked to the CCP’s state security endeavors.

A conservative non-profit watchdog group, the American Accountability Foundation, reported that it found nearly two dozen Chinese academics working at elite U.S. schools and labs “who, because of the dual-use threat of their research, close ties to the military research sector in China, and/or clear ties to the Chinese Communist Party” and as such “should be expelled from the United States or never be re-admitted.”

The new AAF report pointed out that multiple Chinese students working at American universities had previously collaborated on projects with researchers at Huawei, including working with researchers at the Internal Cybersecurity Lab at Huawei.

“National champions” feed military programs

Just the News also found that at least one of the Chinese academics had also worked at iFlytek — a similarly blacklisted Chinese company which often collaborates with Huawei. The U.S. National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence stated in 2021 that “national champion” firms such as Huawei and iFlytek help “lead development of AI technologies at home” and “advance state-directed priorities that feed military and security programs.”

The Congressional Executive Commission on China said in 2019 that “Chinese security authorities continued to work with domestic companies” — including Huawei and iFlytek — “to expand the reach and analytical power of government surveillance systems.”

Just the News previously detailed the fact that a number of U.S. colleges and universities have brought on members of the Chinese Communist Party as well as participants in the infamous “Thousand Talents Program” which has historically been used to steal U.S. technological and scientific know-how for the benefit of China.

The AAF report also pointed out that a Chinese scientist now working at an American university had previously worked at the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, or AVIC, a CCP defense conglomerate blacklisted by the U.S. government. The Chinese state-owned military company is considered to be among the largest defense companies in the world.

The report by AAF also pointed out that a Chinese scientist working at an American school had previously worked at China’s Center for High Pressure Science and Technology Advanced Research — also blacklisted by the U.S. government.

The new AAF research document — titled “Chinese Scientist Infiltration Threat Assessments” — says that Chinese students working at some of America’s top colleges, often receiving U.S. government funding to conduct research into advanced technologies, have troubling histories which could pose a risk to U.S. national security.

The U.S. colleges in question which have brought on the Chinese scientists linked to blacklisted CCP companies — Cornell University, Georgia Tech, the University of Southern California, and Purdue University — did not respond to emailed requests for comment from Just the News.

None of the Chinese academics responded to requests for comment either.

The Huawei threat — now inside U.S. universities

The AAF report argued that Guangyao Chen “poses a high national-security and dual-use risk due to his expertise in adversarial machine learning” and that “this risk is amplified by his training at Peking University, PRC government funding, and collaborations with PRC universities and Huawei, placing his work squarely within China’s military-civil fusion ecosystem.”

Chen currently appears to be affiliated with Cornell. The ResearchGate page for Chen says that his “top co-authors” include Lin Du, a researcher at Huawei. Chen appears to have conducted multiple research projects with the Huawei researcher. The Huawei scientist’s ResearchGate profile lists Du’s skills and expertise as being “computer vision,” “object recognition,” and “machine learning.”

The House Intelligence Committee in 2012 assessed that “the risks associated with Huawei’s […] provision of equipment to U.S. critical infrastructure could undermine core U.S. national security interests” and said that Huawei poses “a security threat to the United States and to our systems.”

The heads of the FBI, CIA, NSA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency all warned in 2018 against using Huawei services or equipment. In addition, the Commerce Department concluded in 2020 that “Huawei is engaged in activities that are contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interests and its non-U.S. affiliates pose a significant risk of involvement in activities contrary to the national security of the United States.”

The FCC added Huawei to its blacklist as well, concluding in 2020 that Huawei “poses a national security threat to our nation’s communications networks and the communications supply chain.”

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