Global Courant
The chairman of the Chinese Communist Party’s House Select Committee, Representative Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., sent a letter Wednesday night to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin seeking answers to a research grant to a US university with Chinese ties.
The letter, which was initially reported on by the Daily Mail, specifically mentions Alfred University in New York, to which the Department of Defense has awarded a five-year grant worth $13.5 million in 2022 to fund hypersonic research. to carry weapons. Gallagher also sent a letter to the university’s president, Mark Zupan, on Wednesday.
“One university in particular – Alfred – hosted a Confucius Institute and collaborated with a Chinese university that was ‘actively involved in defense research’ on behalf of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA),” Gallagher wrote. “To put it plainly, DOD is funding cutting-edge, hypersonic weapons-related research at a US university that is actively collaborating with a Chinese university conducting similar research for the PLA. We are seeking additional information on this alarming issue and the DOD’s efforts to investigate sensitive U.S. military.”
Rep. Mike Gallagher sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Wednesday night seeking answers to a research grant for a US university with Chinese ties, according to a report. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“It is extremely concerning that $17 million of U.S. taxpayers’ money has been spent funding cutting-edge weapons-related research at a university that is actively collaborating with a Chinese research institution that works closely with the Chinese military,” Gallagher told Fox News Digital. “It is no secret that the CCP uses Confucius Institutes to project soft power, but it is time to shed light on how the CCP is also using these institutions to build Chinese hard power weapons against Americans can be used conflict.
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“I look forward to hearing soon from DOD and Alfred University about what they are doing to ensure that US research security remains intact and that US tax dollars are not used to fuel the CCP’s military advancement.”
Gallagher states in the letter that the research grant “will be illegal as of Oct. 1, 2023,” according to section 1062 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2021. The directive prohibits the DOD from making any funds after Oct. 1, 2023. to “‘institution(s) of higher education hosting a Confucius Institute’.” Gallagher wrote that despite the future deadline, Alfred University’s scholarship could be against the law as it was due to end in 2027.
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Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was questioned about a research grant to a US university with Chinese ties, a report said. (Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)
The letter further requests “additional information on DOD’s efforts to protect sensitive national security and U.S. taxpayer-funded research from theft or compromise,” given the university’s Confucius Institute in conjunction with its “research agreement with China University of Geosciences in Wuhan,” which currently maintains a research center whose research area is “closely related” to that of Alfred University.
Gallagher’s letter comes just over a month after Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., also sent a letter to Austin requesting answers to the DOD’s “inadequate guidance” for colleges seeking waivers to host Confucius Institutes on campus while maintaining department funding.
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“This directive is an invitation to the Chinese Communist Party to redouble its influence and espionage operations on American universities,” Banks told Fox News Digital at the time.
Rep. Jim Banks also sent a letter to Austin asking for answers to the DOD’s “inadequate guidance” for colleges seeking waivers to house Confucius Institutes while maintaining department funding. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)
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In early March, the Senate unanimously passed a bill restricting China’s access to American universities by tightening restrictions on Confucius Institutes.
Houston Keene and Caitlin McFall of Fox News contributed to this report.
Haley Chi-Sing is a Fox News digital production assistant. You can reach her at @haleychising on Twitter.
