Georgia Tech to End Partnerships with China Over Concerns About Military Ties, Reports Reuters

By Michael Martina

WASHINGTON – Georgia Tech has decided to terminate its research and educational partnerships in the Chinese cities of Tianjin and Shenzhen. This move comes amid increased scrutiny from Congress regarding the university’s collaboration with entities allegedly associated with China’s military.

In May, the House of Representatives’ select committee on China reached out to Georgia Tech, requesting information about its research collaboration with Tianjin University, particularly concerning advanced semiconductor technologies.

Tianjin University and its affiliates were added to the U.S. Commerce Department’s export restrictions list in 2020 due to actions seen as contrary to U.S. national security, which included trade secret theft and research partnerships aimed at advancing China’s military capabilities.

Abbigail Tumpey, a spokesperson for Georgia Tech, confirmed in an email that the university has been reevaluating its relationships in China since Tianjin University was placed on the entity list. She noted, “Tianjin University has had ample time to correct the situation. To date, Tianjin University remains on the Entity List, making Georgia Tech’s participation with Tianjin University, and subsequently with Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI), no longer tenable.”

As a prominent U.S. engineering institution and a significant recipient of Defense Department funding, Georgia Tech announced it would discontinue its involvement with the Shenzhen institute. However, it assured that the roughly 300 students currently enrolled there would have the chance to complete their degree programs.

Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, criticized the portrayal of standard academic exchanges as a national security threat, calling it an “unwarranted smear campaign.” He expressed opposition to the U.S. broadening the definition of national security and politicizing educational collaborations and scientific research exchanges.

Earlier this year, Georgia Tech highlighted its partnership with Tianjin International Center for Nanoparticles and Nanosystems, where researchers claimed to have developed the world’s first functional semiconductor made from graphene, suggesting it could revolutionize electronics and enhance computing speeds.

The semiconductor industry is a focal point in the rivalry between the U.S. and China, as both nations recognize its importance for both civilian and military applications, including quantum computing and advanced weaponry.

The select committee’s May letter also pointed out that the Tianjin research center has connections to a Chinese company with subsidiaries supplying the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

A Georgia Tech scientist involved in the Tianjin project defended the research, asserting that all findings were publicly accessible and that the collaboration had undergone extensive legal scrutiny.

U.S. Representative Virginia Foxx, the Republican chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, criticized the delay in Georgia Tech’s decision, remarking, “It shouldn’t have taken a congressional investigation to spur Georgia Tech to end its partnership with a blacklisted Chinese entity.” However, she expressed relief that the university ultimately made the correct decision and encouraged other institutions to follow suit.

In recent times, U.S. agencies and Congress have intensified their examination of China’s state-sponsored influence and technology transfers at American colleges and universities. There is growing concern that Beijing may exploit open and federally funded research environments in the U.S. to bypass export controls and national security regulations.

Under President Biden’s administration, the Justice Department ended a program initiated during Trump’s tenure known as the China Initiative, which was aimed at combating espionage and intellectual property theft. Critics contended that the initiative led to racial profiling of Asian Americans and deterred scientific collaboration.