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NDTV
23-05-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Harvard University's 'Links' To China, Iran Triggers US National Security Concerns
Washington DC: As the US government's crackdown on Harvard University intensifies, links to China and Iran have emerged, raising national security concerns in the United States. The premier university is being investigated by the House Select Committee on China as well as the House Committee on Education and Workforce for its links to groups affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party and research groups being aided by Iran. Harvard University is facing charges of partnering with foreign adversaries and collaborating with entities implicated in human rights abuses. The charges are grave. A letter by has been sent by the House committees to Harvard University and its President Alan Garber seeking transparency and accountability over its "partnerships and activities that raise serious national security and ethical concerns". CHINA AND IRAN LINKS Some of the concerns listed in the letter include: Harvard University's collaboration with Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps or XPCC, wherein the Ivy league university would "train and prepare" members of the XPCC - a US-sanctioned paramilitary group that "plays a central role in the Chinese Communist Party's genocide of Uyghur Muslims". Harvard hosted the XPCC at least four times after the US government had sanctioned the paramilitary group over its "genocide against Uyghurs". Harvard University's research wing, funded by the US Department of Defence, forging partnerships with "Chinese military-linked universities, including Tsinghua, Zhejiang, and Huazhong Universities" without consent of the US government. The ongoing joint investigation has revealed that "China's Tsinghua University actively conducts defense research for China's People's Liberation Army and has been implicated in cyber-attacks against the United States." It also found that Zhejiang University has been involved in "economic and cyber espionage" against the US, while Huazhong University, with which Harvard worked on projects based on artificial intelligence, microelectronics, and quantum science, has close ties to China's PLA. Harvard University's collaborations with "Iranian-government-funded researchers" working directly with Tehran. This includes projects "financed by the Iranian National Science Foundation", whose primary focus is on funding scientific research and development across various fields, including nuclear technology. Harvard University's tie-ups with "organ transplantation research involving China-based collaborators". This comes amid "mounting evidence of the Chinese Communist Party's forced organ harvesting practices". WHAT THE INVESTIGATING TEAM SAID In the letter to Harvard President, House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar wrote, "Harvard trained members of a sanctioned Chinese paramilitary group responsible for genocide, and its researchers partnered with Chinese military universities on DoD-funded research and worked with researchers funded by the Iranian regime." "These are not isolated incidents - they represent a disturbing pattern that puts U.S. national security at risk. The Select Committee's investigation will deliver answers, expose the truth, and hold Harvard accountable to the American people," the Republican Congressman added. Tim Walburg, Chairperson of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, wrote, "No American university or college should be assisting the Chinese Communist Party in expanding its influence, oppressing American citizens, or undermining US national security. Unfortunately, we have found several instances in which Harvard University aided and even collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party – including helping Chinese researchers on military projects funded by the Iranian government. This is unacceptable and Harvard President Garber needs to provide answers to Congress for this colossal failure." Harvard University has been given till June 2, 2025 to submit all internal documents, communications, and testimonies from Harvard officials who have been made part of the investigation. ACTIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY The US Department of Homeland Security has also stepped in, stopping the enrollment of foreign students and student exchange programmes at Harvard University due to its "pro-terrorist conduct". A statement by the Department of Homeland Security said, "Harvard is being held accountable for collaboration with the CCP, fostering violence, antisemitism, and pro-terrorist conduct from students on its campus." It further stated that "Harvard's leadership has created an unsafe campus environment by permitting anti-American, pro-terrorist agitators to harass and physically assault individuals, including many Jewish students, and otherwise obstruct its once-venerable learning environment." The US Government is "holding Harvard accountable for fostering violence, antisemitism, and coordinating with the Chinese Communist Party on its campus," said Secretary Kristi Noem. WHAT HARVARD UNIVERSITY SAID Meanwhile, Harvard University has called the US Government's move to ban foreign students as "unlawful". In a statement, Harvard spokesperson Jason Newton said, "We are fully committed to maintaining Harvard's ability to host international students and scholars, who hail from more than 140 countries and enrich the University - and this nation - immeasurably. We are working quickly to provide guidance and support to members of our community. This retaliatory action threatens serious harm to the Harvard community and our country, and undermines Harvard's academic and research mission." The Ivy league university however, has not said anything about the charges it faces about its links to China, its military, the Iranian government, and what the Homeland Security labelled "pro-terrorist conduct".
Boston Globe
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
House Republicans probe Harvard's connections to China
Stefanik, who represents New York's 21st congressional district, had a leading role in the 2023 congressional hearings over antisemitism on college campuses, where The House members also accuse the university of using Department of Defense funding 'to partner with China-based academics on research with potential military applications,' according to the letter. Advertisement The lawmakers requested 'information regarding the safeguards Harvard places around research collaborations related to organ transplantation' when the research involves China-based scholars. A Harvard spokesperson confirmed the university received the letter and will respond but did not comment further. In an interview on Fox Business that Stefanik Advertisement 'This is one of the reasons why [Education] Secretary [Linda] McMahon's actions to defund and pull back those federal dollars is so incredibly important,' she said. 'This is a national security risk for our country and for our next generation of students.' McMahon issued a letter to Harvard earlier this month that said In a statement announcing the inquiry, Stefanik and her colleagues allege that Harvard held 'repeated training' of members of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, which they said is a 'U.S.-sanctioned paramilitary group that plays a central role in the Chinese Communist Party's genocide of Uyghur Muslims.' They claim Harvard engaged in research partnerships funded by the Department of Defense with 'Chinese military-linked universities, including Tsinghua, Zhejiang, and Huazhong Universities,' according to the statement. They allege Harvard also engaged in collaborations with 'Iranian-government-funded researchers, including projects financed by the Iranian National Science Foundation' and conducted 'organ transplantation research' involving China-based collaborators 'amid mounting evidence of the CCP's forced organ harvesting practices.' The lawmakers set a June 2 deadline for Harvard to respond with the requested materials. Harvard, the nation's oldest and wealthiest university, has been locked in a bitter battle with the Trump administration, which is using legal threats and funding cuts to force the school to yield to Trump's agenda. Officials have accused Harvard of cultivating an academic environment that is rigidly leftist and intolerant of conservative viewpoints and which creates a breeding ground for antisemitism. Advertisement Nick Stoico can be reached at
