Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI) of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce have initiated an investigation into Georgia Tech's partnership with Tianjin University in China. The Chinese university is linked to the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and has been blacklisted by the U.S. government for stealing American technology with military applications.
Georgia Tech, a leading U.S. research university that plays a pivotal role in America’s technological advancement and economic competitiveness, has been collaborating with Tianjin University for over a decade. This partnership is viewed as particularly concerning due to Georgia Tech's Department of Defense-affiliated research institute's involvement in sensitive research funded by Tianjin University.
The lawmakers expressed their concerns about Georgia Tech using its Department of Defense research institute to fund sensitive research with Tianjin University. They also raised questions about the millions of dollars that Georgia Tech accepted from the People's Republic of China (PRC) to support its partnership with the blacklisted university. It appears that some PRC funding received by the university was not reported to U.S. officials.
In a letter addressed to Georgia Tech president Ángel Cabrera, Chairman Moolenaar, Ranking Member Wicker, and Chairwoman Foxx stated: “Despite Tianjin University’s links to the PLA and its efforts to steal dual-use U.S. trade secrets, Georgia Tech has continued collaborating with the university as it has done since at least 2013."
They further added: “Relatedly, it is not clear that Georgia Tech has fulsomely disclosed its funding for its broader Tianjin University initiatives." They pointed out that while Shenzhen government allocated at least $250 million for constructing the Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI) campus, this funding does not appear to have been reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
To assess the potential damage to American national security through Georgia Tech’s partnership, the lawmakers have requested that Georgia Tech provide information regarding its relationship with the Chinese military-linked university, including details about funding, collaborations, and research partnerships.
