Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on China, along with Chairman Tim Walberg of the Committee on Education and Workforce and Representative Elise Stefanik, has sent a letter to Harvard University raising concerns about new evidence of Harvard's partnership with a school run by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The committee stated that whistleblowers revealed Harvard is working with an institution controlled by the CCP’s Central Organization Department.
According to the committee, this department is responsible for promoting Xi Jinping’s regime. "The CCP Organization Department is one of the most powerful bodies within the Communist Party; it is responsible for the regimented training program centered on 'Xi Jinping Thought' provided to the Party elites and controls the placement of CCP members in key leadership positions,"the letter writes.
The letter details that Harvard Kennedy School collaborates with the Chinese Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), which is overseen by the CCP Organization Department, to train future leaders of the Communist Party at Harvard. It cites a 2016 statement from a high-ranking member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences: "In 2016, a high-ranking member of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences stated that Chinese 'party and government cadres' participate in 'education and training' run by the CCP Organization Department. The Chinese government 'sends some cadres abroad' to 'the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.'"
The lawmakers have requested all documents related to any collaboration between Harvard and entities connected to either China’s government or its ruling party, as well as a list detailing any benefits received from these relationships.
This latest inquiry follows previous investigations into what committee members describe as longstanding ties between Harvard and various entities linked to China’s government. The committee has previously highlighted concerns over Harvard’s training programs involving members of groups sanctioned by U.S. authorities, such as the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), research partnerships with universities connected to China’s military sector, collaborations with Iranian-government-funded researchers, and organ transplantation research involving partners based in China.
"The Select Committee is investigating Harvard's deeply troubling ties to the CCP that threaten U.S. national security interests," according to statements released alongside today’s letter.
Committee officials say they remain committed to transparency as their investigation continues.
