Global Courant 2023-05-12 20:00:32
EXCLUSIVE: A leading Republican legislator wants to know why a Chinese private equity firm was allowed to buy a US educational website routinely used by US military and students across the country.
“I am writing to you today regarding reports that Primavera Capital Group, an entity based in the People’s Republic of China, has received approval to purchase a tutoring company that has contracts with the US military and K-12 schools across the country. In particular, Tutor.com is an online educational website operated by the Princeton Review that has contracts to provide free tutoring services to members of active duty and reserve duty, and Department of Defense civilian personnel,” wrote Vice Chairman of Main Street Caucus, Rep. . Stephanie Bice, R-Olka., in a letter to President Biden and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Friday.
“This acquisition is of great concern as China-based organizations are routinely forced to share their data with the Chinese government, putting at risk any data that users believe to be private. Data held by Tutor.com contains information about users and teachers and can be exploited by the Chinese Communist Party.”
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Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., worries about a Chinese private equity firm buying the Princeton Review and Tutor.com (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Heightened concerns have arisen in recent years about China’s quietly growing influence in American academia and its impact on young Americans.
In addition to buying Tutor.com, the Hong Kong-based equity firm received approval to acquire the site’s parent company, Princeton Review, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Prior to this, a system of language and culture education centers known as Confucius Institutes was largely shut down after the State Department labeled them in 2020 as “an entity that is spreading Beijing’s global propaganda and malign influence campaign on US campuses and K-12 classrooms.” promotes”.
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UNITED STATES – NOVEMBER 26: A plaque and flag hang outside the China Institute, home of the Confucius Institute, at 125 E 65th Street in New York, USA, on Monday, November 26, 2007. The Chinese Government Office of the Chinese Language Council International , which has established 135 Confucius Institutes worldwide, is part of a broad campaign involving investment, aid and diplomacy, as well as cultural outreach, all aimed at paving China’s path to superpower status. (Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But a June 2022 report from the National Association of Scholars indicated that these CCP-backed educational centers have returned under different names, in some cases with funding from the exact same entities that funded the Confucius Institutes.
Meanwhile, Beijing’s opportunities for influence over young Americans have also sparked talks in Washington about whether or not to restrict TikTok, the popular social media platform owned by China-backed company Bytedance.
In her letter to the Biden administration on Friday, Bice pointed out that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States is tasked with reviewing foreign acquisitions and warning the president if they pose a risk to national security.
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UNITED STATES – MARCH 16: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen testifies at the Senate Treasury Committee hearing on the fiscal year 2024 presidential budget, at the Dirksen Building on Thursday, March 16, 2023. (Tom Williams)
“Knowing that many Service and DoD personnel could have their personal information potentially compromised by this acquisition, I would like to ask why this purchase was allowed to proceed?” Bice wondered.
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The Republican legislator told Fox News Digital on Friday: “I am deeply concerned that the Biden administration has allowed Primavera Capitol Group, a Chinese private equity firm, to buy a company that has personal data on the US military. The possible weaponization of this by the Chinese Communist Party data is a serious problem for national security.”
“Under this president, the CCP has become more and more aggressive and has even violated US sovereign airspace. It must stop and the president must start standing up against China,” Bice said.
Elizabeth Elkind is a political reporter for Fox News Digital.
