A new analysis alleges federally funded research at elite American institutions involves academics linked to China’s ruling party, military programs and blacklisted companies.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Chinese students and researchers with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the Chinese military and companies accused of stealing U.S. technology have embedded themselves within leading American universities and laboratories, according to a new watchdog report that raises renewed concerns about national security and research integrity.
The findings, reported by Just the News, come from a conservative nonprofit oversight group, the American Accountability Foundation, which said it identified nearly two dozen Chinese academics currently or recently working at top U.S. institutions whose backgrounds pose what it described as a “dual-use threat” to the United States.
The report, titled “Chinese Scientist Infiltration Threat Assessments,” states that some Chinese students and scientists are receiving U.S. federal funding — including Pentagon-linked grants — to conduct research in sensitive fields despite past affiliations with the CCP, Chinese military-linked universities or companies tied to Beijing’s defense and intelligence apparatus.
AAF – Chinese Scientist Infiltration – Threat Assessments by yourNEWS Media
AAF said the individuals identified “should be expelled from the United States or never be re-admitted,” citing their research areas, past employment and political affiliations.
CCP links and sensitive research
According to the report, several Chinese academics working in U.S. universities appear to be members of the CCP or have participated in CCP-directed programs aimed at acquiring foreign technology. Some reportedly worked with companies serving China’s defense industry or participated in state-backed efforts to transfer research to the People’s Liberation Army.
The report highlighted links to firms such as Huawei, which U.S. authorities have long described as a national security risk, and to China’s Thousand Talents recruitment program. The FBI has warned that such programs incentivize illegal conduct and intellectual property theft, urging U.S. universities and businesses to protect trade secrets.
At least one Chinese scientist identified in the report appeared to have been employed by the Chinese government while working in the United States, AAF said.
The universities named in the report include Harvard University, Carnegie Mellon, Cornell University, Brown University, Purdue University, the University of Wisconsin, Georgia Tech, the University of Florida, the University of Michigan, Penn State University, the Stevens Institute of Technology, Michigan State University, Indiana University, the University of Southern California and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Research areas cited in the report include artificial intelligence, large language models, robotics, unmanned aerial systems, quantum sensing, advanced semiconductors, nuclear materials research, infectious disease research, electrical grid technologies, advanced materials and pharmaceuticals — fields that experts often classify as having potential military or intelligence applications.
U.S. funding and congressional warnings
AAF said many of the Chinese students and scientists identified received funding from U.S. government agencies, including the Department of Energy, National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Air Force Office of Scientific Research, U.S. Army Research Lab, Office of Naval Research, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and various national laboratories.
The House Select Committee on the CCP concluded in a previous assessment that the Chinese government does not view overseas education as politically neutral. Instead, the committee said international study is treated as a key tool for acquiring advanced science, engineering and defense-related knowledge under Beijing’s state-directed technology strategy.
The same committee has also warned of “a pervasive and deeply troubling pattern” of U.S. taxpayer-funded research conducted alongside Chinese entities tied directly to China’s defense and industrial base.
AAF President Thomas Jones said the findings point to “the infiltration of the United States research enterprise by scientists and engineers from the People’s Republic of China.” He argued that active CCP members have been placed in sensitive academic roles that allow technology transfer to the PLA and relationship-building with U.S. defense researchers.
Just the News reported that none of the 21 Chinese academics named in the report responded to requests for comment. Several universities also declined to comment or provided limited responses. The University of Florida said one of the individuals had left the school in good standing in 2025. Michigan State University said inquiries must be handled through public records requests. The Stevens Institute of Technology said the individual in question was an unpaid visiting scholar who observed and assisted faculty.
Party membership and United Front activity
The report said multiple Chinese students currently at U.S. universities had been members of the CCP, including holding leadership roles in local party branches at Chinese universities. It also identified a scientist who had been a leader in the CCP-controlled China Democratic League.
U.S. intelligence agencies have long assessed the CDL as closely aligned with CCP objectives. A CIA assessment from 1957 concluded that the organization served Communist interests in areas where overt party activity faced resistance. The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission later described the CDL as a United Front-affiliated organization, while the House Select Committee on the CCP said United Front work blends influence operations and intelligence gathering to gain access to foreign technology.
Talent programs and past prosecutions
The AAF report also documented links between some Chinese academics and the CCP’s Thousand Talents and Hundred Talents programs. The Justice Department has said these programs are designed to recruit individuals with access to foreign technology and reward them for transferring proprietary information.
In 2020, the DOJ charged Chinese national Zhengdong Cheng in connection with NASA-related fraud tied to the Hundred Talents Plan. Cheng later pleaded guilty to lying to Texas A&M University and was sentenced after serving time in jail, according to local reporting.
Military-linked universities and blacklisted firms
AAF further highlighted Chinese academics who previously attended universities known as the CCP’s “Seven Sons of National Defense,” including Northwestern Polytechnical University and Beihang University. A House committee assessed that these institutions are deeply embedded in China’s military-industrial system.
The report also identified links to blacklisted defense conglomerates such as the Aviation Industry Corporation of China, whose subsidiaries have been sanctioned or restricted by the U.S. government over national security concerns.
According to AAF, its goal is to move the debate over Chinese influence in U.S. research from broad warnings to “specific actionable examples” that policymakers can address.
The report concludes that without stronger safeguards, U.S. universities and federal agencies risk enabling the transfer of sensitive research and technology to strategic competitors through academic channels.
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