Washington, August 14: A congressional investigation led by the Republican Party has accused Harvard University of prioritizing beneficial relationships with China over U.S. national security. The report claims that the university maintained research ties with entities linked to the Chinese military and human rights violations.
The 53-page report titled “Compromised Independence: The Influence of the CCP at Harvard University” was released by the House Select Committee on China and the House Education and Workforce Committee.
The committee stated that it reviewed thousands of pages of documents from Harvard and the Chinese government, interviewed university staff, and heard testimonies from several witnesses.
Chairman of the Select Committee, John Moolenaar, expressed, “The American people expect our nation’s leading universities to safeguard American research and innovation and never advance the interests of our country’s adversaries. Currently, Harvard is failing to meet that expectation.”
He added, “From allowing violence against anti-China protesters to collaborating with entities linked to the PLA, Harvard has made serious mistakes and must take steps to prevent further errors.”
The report alleges that researchers affiliated with Harvard collaborated with scholars from universities tied to China’s defense research and industrial base. It noted that some research projects were related to areas that could be utilized by both civilians and the military, such as robotics.
Additionally, it mentioned that Harvard’s Chan School of Public Health hosted an executive education program that possibly included members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a paramilitary organization sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.
The report indicated that evidence regarding the participants was unclear. It stated that a Harvard professor who organized the program was not informed about the need to vet participants.
The investigation also focused on a non-profit affiliate named Harvard Global. The committees alleged that it was structured to funnel funding in cases where the university could not comply with sponsor conditions due to legal or financial reasons.
The committees noted that after receiving the draft report, Harvard removed information from its affiliate’s website.
Tim Walberg, Chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee, stated, “Harvard clearly attempted to evade federal laws requiring disclosure of foreign funding by creating an organization. This is unacceptable, especially given Harvard’s history of non-compliance with these regulations.”
The documents released by the committees did not include any new public response from Harvard regarding the final report.
The report urges Harvard to centralize its research security operations, implement significant changes to its vetting processes, appoint officials knowledgeable about national security and export control, and cease collaboration with entities on the U.S. sanctions list.
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