South Michigan News

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman John Moolenaar, and House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik have sent a letter to Harvard University. The letter demands transparency regarding the university's partnerships with foreign entities linked to human rights abuses.

The letter highlights several concerning partnerships that raise national security and ethical issues. These include Harvard's training of members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a U.S.-sanctioned paramilitary group involved in the genocide of Uyghur Muslims. It also mentions research partnerships funded by the Department of Defense with Chinese military-linked universities such as Tsinghua, Zhejiang, and Huazhong Universities. Additionally, collaborations with Iranian-government-funded researchers are noted, including projects financed by the Iranian National Science Foundation. Concerns about organ transplantation research involving PRC-based collaborators amid evidence of forced organ harvesting practices by the CCP are also raised.

Chairman Tim Walberg stated, "No American university or college should be assisting the CCP in expanding its influence, oppressing American citizens, or undermining U.S. national security." He added that Harvard has aided and collaborated with the CCP on military projects funded by Iran, calling it unacceptable.

Chairman Moolenaar remarked on Harvard's training of sanctioned Chinese paramilitary group members responsible for genocide and partnerships with Chinese military universities on DoD-funded research. He emphasized that these incidents represent a pattern that threatens U.S. national security.

Chairwoman Stefanik demanded full transparency from Harvard University and cooperation with the Select Committee’s investigation to ensure no American institution enables adversarial regimes' ambitions under academic exchange pretenses.

The lawmakers have requested internal documents and testimony from Harvard officials, including Professor Winnie Yip, setting a deadline of June 2 for compliance.

This inquiry adds to existing challenges faced by Harvard amid national backlash over antisemitism on campus, donor revolts, and leadership instability. The university's foreign ties now present additional reputational and legal risks amidst bipartisan concerns about adversarial influence in U.S. institutions.

Read the letter here.