The House Select Committee on China and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence have released a report detailing how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has taken advantage of research collaborations with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The committees allege that these partnerships allowed China to access American taxpayer-funded research, which contributed to advancements in its military and technology sectors.
"This investigation reveals a deeply alarming problem: The Department of Energy failed to ensure the security of its research and it put American taxpayers on the hook for funding the military rise of our nation's foremost adversary. The department, which oversees critical research and technological innovation, allowed research collaborations that were exploited by China," said Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI). "The department must stop providing funding to grantees who allow this exploitation and protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) stated, "For years, Communist China has had front-row access to critical dual-use technologies and those directly related to next-generation military aircraft, electronic warfare systems, and radar detection. Based on the findings in this report, Communist China’s infiltration of cutting-edge, taxpayer-funded research at the Department of Energy must be put to a stop. America’s adversaries should not have premier access to sensitive technologies that could compromise our national security."
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-AR) added, “For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has conducted intellectual property theft, cyber espionage, and illicit technology transfers under the guise of international research collaboration. The CCP has long operated below the threshold of armed conflict to defeat the U.S. without firing a shot. They are actively working to exploit lapses in research security to steal our innovation and use it not only to their benefit but also to the clear and direct detriment of the U.S. This systematic plunder allows the CCP to accelerate what took the U.S. decades and trillions of dollars to develop - leapfrogging entire generations of research and development in emerging technology fields - eroding America’s technological edge. It is time to take a more vigilant approach to ensure we are enforcing safeguards in academia and in both government and private research to prevent these industries from becoming a breeding ground for weapons programs of the Chinese Communist Party. I am honored to join Chairman Moolenaar and Chairman Cotton in the release of this investigative report that pulls back the curtain on a real and impending threat.”
According to findings from June 2023 through June 2025, about 4,350 research papers involved DOE funding or support linked with entities from China—including over 730 DOE awards or contracts. Roughly half—2,200 publications—involved partnerships with organizations connected directly with China's defense sector such as universities known as “Seven Sons of National Defense” or institutions like the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics.
One example cited was a 2023 study co-authored by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Tennessee alongside China Electronic Technology Group Corporation (CETC), described as one of China's largest state-owned defense companies.
These cases illustrate ongoing collaborations between DOE scientists at national laboratories and key entities within China's military-industrial complex—sometimes involving technologies relevant for advanced military aircraft or electronic warfare systems.
This latest investigation follows another probe by the committee from September 2025 which found that over $2.5 billion in Defense Department funds supported projects resulting in more than 1,400 joint publications with Chinese partners; over half included direct work with Chinese defense organizations.
Further details can be found by reading the full report, DOE publication data, or the AP news exclusive.
