The heads of two House committees have written a letter to the president of Duke University advising the North Carolina school to end its partnership with Wuhan University in China. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Rep. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.), the chair of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), the chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee,\u00a0sent the letter Wednesday regarding concerns about China gaining access to U.S. research.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWuhan University is not an ordinary academic institution. It is a direct extension of the Chinese military and intelligence apparatus,\u201d the two Republicans wrote. \u00a0<\/p>\n
The partnership between the two schools created\u00a0Duke Kunshan University (DKU), which enrolls some 3,000 individuals and allows students to travel between the United States and China. \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAs part of these programs, many DKU students spend time at Duke University, gaining access to federally funded U.S. research. Given the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s (CCP) well documented efforts to exploit U.S. academic openness, this partnership creates a direct pipeline between U.S. innovation and China\u2019s military-industrial complex,\u201d the two committee leaders wrote.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAdditionally, the website for DKU includes a page dedicated to PRC [People’s Republic of China] military training. The page shows students in uniforms participating in hand-to-hand combat and shooting drills. That Duke would lend its name to military training for the PRC is appalling,\u201d they added.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Multiple other U.S. colleges have severed ties with Chinese institutions, including Oakland University and the University of Michigan. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“Duke is in receipt of Rep. Moolenaar and Rep. Walberg\u2019s letter.\u00a0Duke respects Congress\u2019 important oversight role and will work to further educate Congress about Duke\u2019s global education mission,” a spokesperson for the university said.<\/p>\n