Rep. Mike Gallagher aimed his lance at the Ivory Tower, in a speech Monday to the Annual Meeting of the Association of American Universities, urging the leaders to share his appreciation of the Chinese threat.
Mr. Gallagher decried university administrators' perceived indifference to CCP surveillance and intimidation, an ill-regulated flow of expertise overseas, and the role of US Capital in accelerating Chinese military innovation.
"For decades, the Chinese Communist Party has exploited the very openness at the heart of American society, and our higher education system in particular, twisting this strength to the Party’s own advantage," said Mr. Gallagher. "The Chinese government is not shy about this. They even have a phrase for it: 'picking flowers in foreign lands to make honey in China.'"
Gallagher identifies three primary areas for improvement: student protection, collaboration scrutiny, and financial transparency.
"Policymakers should set a clear standard: organizations designed to support the unique needs of foreign students are good. Organizations that act under the control, influence, or direction of adversarial governments are not. Policymakers should prohibit the operation of any student group that receives funding or direction from governments like China’s that we know seek to repress students on American campuses."
2. Collaboration Scrutiny: He warns against collaborating with CCP and People's Liberation Army (PLA)-affiliated researchers. Citing examples, he illustrates how such collaborations have contributed to China's military modernization, enabled through open research initiatives. Gallagher suggests restricting Department of Defense-funded research collaborations with PLA-affiliated entities."Currently, there is no clear restriction, even on DoD fundamental research, involving U.S. researchers who concurrently collaborate on fundamental research projects with PLA-affiliated entities.
"One no brainer, reflected in language in the House-passed NDAA, is to restrict DoD-funded research collaborations, including in fundamental research, with institutions that we know are affiliated with the PLA."
"We can’t allow tax-advantaged entities like endowments, foundations, and retirement plans to fund Chinese military technologies that may be targeting American servicemembers as we speak.
"We’re going to work to restrict these entities from investing in anything associated with Chinese military modernization, human rights abuses, or techno-totalitarian surveillance state.
"We need to ensure that Section 117 of the Higher Education Act, which requires universities to disclose foreign money, is enforced. Section 117 is the law of this country, even if the current administration is not making this a priority, Congress will. U.S. universities must be transparent about financial ties with adversary regimes."
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