Latest news with #CSC-sponsored
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
Head of US House panel urges schools to reconsider ‘nefarious' Chinese scholarship programme
Representative John Moolenaar, the head of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, is calling on seven American universities, including Dartmouth College, to reconsider partnerships with a Chinese scholarship organisation. The move is the latest congressional attempt to curb the flow of Chinese students to the US over national security concerns. Since taking over as chair of the committee, Moolenaar, a Michigan Republican, has made ending US-China partnerships a priority. In letters dated Tuesday and released Wednesday, he asked the schools' presidents to reassess ties with the Chinese Scholarship Council, the primary body in China providing state-funded scholarships to facilitate academic exchange. He also asked them to provide details about their contractual agreements with the CSC, the Chinese entities that CSC-sponsored students came from and joined after graduation, the students' involvement in US government-funded research and an explanation of how supporting China-linked talent aligns with US interests. In addition to Dartmouth, targeted schools include Temple University; the University of California, Davis; the University of California, Irvine; the University of California, Riverside; the University of Notre Dame; and the University of Tennessee. The CSC announced in August that up to 240 outstanding Chinese students would be selected to work towards a master's or doctorate degree at the seven schools this year. Study tracks across a wide range of disciplines, including agriculture, engineering, public health, liberal arts and sociology, would be open for application, and in some cases the costs would be borne by both the CSC and the US institution. The Chinese Communist Party 'has a long track record of acquiring US technology through both legal and illegal tactics – including talent recruitment programs, academic partnerships that serve its military, forced tech transfer, espionage, and outright theft', Moolenaar said in a statement on Wednesday. He characterised the CSC as a 'nefarious' Communist Party-managed 'technology transfer effort that exploits US institutions'. In his letters, he argued that CSC programmes were distinct from other international student programmes as they require students to return to China upon graduation and work there for at least two years, as well as provide regular updates to the Chinese government about their progress throughout their study period. Many governments, including India, Malaysia and Singapore, provide scholarships to their citizens with mandatory return requirements, aimed at building capacity in critical sectors and preventing brain drain. In 2023, the CSC sent over 10,000 students abroad for advanced education. Besides the US, other popular destinations included Australia, Canada, Europe, Japan and New Zealand. US government interest in Chinese students has picked up in recent months, heaping fresh pressure on academic partnerships set up to share information and break down barriers between the US and China. In May, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington would 'aggressively' revoke visas of Chinese students, including those with 'connections' to China's Communist Party and in 'critical fields'. During his first term, US President Donald Trump restricted visas for students affiliated with China's 'military-civil fusion strategy'. Over the past year, as a result of pressure from Moolenaar's committee, schools across the country, from research giants such as the University of California, Berkeley, the University of Michigan and Georgia Tech, to less research-focused institutions like Michigan's Oakland University and Eastern Michigan University, have ended partnerships with Chinese entities. China is the second-largest country of origin for international students in the US, behind only India. Most students do not attend with funding from the Chinese government. The total number of Chinese students in the US dropped to about 277,000 during the 2023-24 academic year from a peak of about 372,000 a few years earlier, according to the latest data compiled by the New York-based Institute of International Education. Many US universities and academics acknowledge a need to strengthen research security but caution against casting broad suspicion on Chinese citizens, noting that only small numbers have been accused of espionage. - SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
How higher education in the US is becoming collateral in the geopolitical power struggle
How higher education in the US is becoming collateral in the geopolitical power struggle In a world increasingly divided by geopolitical rivalries, American universities are no longer neutral spaces for learning and research. They've become unintended players in the global power struggle, facing scrutiny, sanctions, and ideological pressure from both domestic and foreign governments. From congressional probes into Chinese scholarships to Russia branding Yale University an enemy, higher education is now caught in the crosshairs of international politics. And the collateral damage is already being felt across campuses. Academic exchange or strategic threat? The latest flashpoint is the China Scholarship Council (CSC), a government-funded program that sends Chinese graduate students to study in US institutions. What was once seen as a tool of academic diplomacy is now under suspicion. This week, House Republicans sent letters to seven top US universities — including Dartmouth College, the University of Notre Dame, and several University of California campuses, demanding records on CSC-sponsored students and whether they had access to US government-funded research. According to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, chaired by Rep. John Moolenaar, the CSC is a 'nefarious mechanism' designed to advance China's military-industrial goals through academic infiltration. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like An engineer reveals: One simple trick to get internet without a subscription Techno Mag Learn More Undo At Dartmouth and Temple University, CSC students reportedly receive partial tuition support and stipends: a detail now under the congressional microscope. Texas draws a red line In a parallel development, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order in early 2025 requiring all public universities in the state to sever ties with institutions or individuals from so-called 'foreign adversaries,' including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. Major public institutions including UT Austin, Texas A&M, and the University of Houston, are now revising funding protocols, freezing collaborations, and reassessing international partnerships. While the state defends the move as a national security imperative, academics warn of deeper consequences: racial profiling, academic censorship, and a growing fear among international students and scholars, particularly those of Asian descent. Yale blacklisted in Russia Across the globe, Russia has intensified its pushback on Western institutions. In a highly symbolic act, the Kremlin declared Yale University an 'undesirable organisation,' accusing it of destabilising Russia and promoting opposition movements. The move effectively criminalises any association with Yale in Russia, even though the university has minimal operations in the country. Officials cited Yale's alleged links to the late Russian dissident Alexei Navalny — a sign that even indirect affiliations are enough to trigger retaliation. For US universities, it's a sobering warning: foreign partnerships can quickly turn into political liabilities. A broader academic decoupling These incidents are part of a much larger pattern — one that's reshaping the very fabric of global academia. What used to be seen as mutually beneficial research and exchange is now viewed through the lens of espionage, propaganda, and power competition. Consider the recent cases: Harvard University is under political fire for its historical ties with Chinese entities. A lawsuit erupted earlier this year when the US government sought to restrict the university's ability to admit foreign students. Confucius Institutes, once common across US and European campuses, have been shut down across Australia, Germany, and Japan over concerns of censorship and Chinese influence. Following the Russia-Ukraine war, major universities in Europe and Australia cut ties with Russian research institutions, halting decades of scientific cooperation. All these actions underscore a growing belief: academia is no longer immune to geopolitics — it is entangled in it. Why this matters for students and scholars With over 270,000 Chinese students in the US during the 2023–24 academic year — nearly a quarter of all international students — any shift in policy or visa scrutiny has massive consequences. For many, academic dreams are being shaped not by merit, but by politics. University leaders now face a tough balancing act: how to protect open inquiry and international partnerships while also addressing national security concerns. Some are tightening internal oversight, while others are reconsidering foreign-funded projects and re-evaluating longstanding collaborations. But the cost of disengagement could be steep: not just in lost funding, but in lost opportunities for global learning and progress. The new academic order The message is becoming unmistakable: universities are now battlegrounds in the global struggle for influence, ideology, and innovation. Whether it's sudden visa revocations, executive orders, blacklists, or lawsuits, the academic world is being reshaped in real time by policies crafted far from any campus. And as international tensions deepen, the risk is that universities will lose the very values they were built on: openness, collaboration, and freedom of thought. In this new landscape, higher education is no longer just a participant in global exchange: it's collateral in a power struggle that shows no signs of slowing down. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
