Concerns Raised Over University of Michigan's China Partnership

The leadership of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has urged the University of Michigan to reassess its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Concerns focus on potential national security risks and the transfer of sensitive technologies. Notable institutions have already severed similar partnerships.

The leadership of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has expressed significant concerns about the University of Michigan's strategic partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The committee's letter to the university highlighted potential national security risks associated with this collaboration, citing a recent report on US-China academic joint institutes.

According to the report, these partnerships may have enabled the transfer of sensitive US technologies to Chinese defense entities, aiding advancements in critical military capabilities. In light of similar concerns, institutions like the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, have already dissolved their collaborations with Chinese institutions.

The letter points to Shanghai Jiao Tong University's connections with the military-civil fusion strategy of the Chinese Communist Party, enhancing China's defense capabilities. The partnership's involvement in military technology projects and recruitment practices has heightened scrutiny, particularly following recent legal actions against students allegedly linked to unapproved military site visits in China.

(With inputs from agencies.)