House and Senate committees find over 4,300 DOE-funded collaborations with Chinese researchers, including those tied to Beijing’s military.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A congressional report released Wednesday reveals that China has exploited U.S.-funded scientific research to advance its nuclear and military capabilities. The investigation, conducted by the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, found that Beijing leveraged collaborations between Chinese researchers and U.S. scientists funded by the Department of Energy (DOE).
DOE Report Containment Breach Final V1 by yourNEWS Media
Key Findings
Between June 2023 and June 2025, over 4,300 academic papers resulted from collaborations between DOE-funded researchers and Chinese scientists. Nearly half of these papers included contributors affiliated with China’s military or defense-linked institutions.
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), chair of the House Select Committee on the CCP, stated:
“This investigation reveals a deeply alarming problem: The Department of Energy failed to ensure the security of its research and it put American taxpayers on the hook for funding the military rise of our nation’s foremost adversary. The department must stop providing funding to grantees who allow this exploitation and protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”
Sensitive Research at Risk
The DOE oversees some of the most sensitive U.S. research, including nuclear energy, weapons development, and quantum computing. The report identified 24 publications acknowledging DOE funding in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics, China’s primary nuclear weapons research complex.
Collaborations with Military-Linked Entities
Federal funds also supported partnerships with Chinese state-owned laboratories and universities tied to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). For example, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee co-authored a 2023 paper with the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation, a state-owned defense conglomerate sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury and Pentagon.
The report also highlighted collaborations with Chinese entities accused of cyberattacks, human rights abuses, and surveillance activities.
Military-Civil Fusion Policy
The CCP’s “military-civil fusion” policy allows civilian research to be adapted for military applications, raising concerns about U.S. taxpayer-funded research being exploited. The report warned:
“These longstanding policy failures and inaction have left taxpayer-funded research vulnerable to exploitation by China’s defense research and industrial base and state-directed technology transfer activities.”
Broader Context
This report adds to previous findings, including a March 2025 investigation by the Daily Caller News Foundation, which revealed that the DOE and Department of War funded over 100 research projects using Chinese government supercomputers sanctioned for military collaboration. Other federal agencies have also awarded sensitive grants to researchers involved in Chinese government programs linked to economic espionage.
The findings underscore the urgent need for stricter oversight of U.S.-funded research collaborations to prevent foreign exploitation of American innovation.
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