Defence
US Fueling China’s Military Rise? Congressional Panel Flags Pentagon Funding Of Research With Chinese Universities Tied To Defence Industry
US President Donald Trump (left) and Xi Xinping (right)
A US Congressional panel has raised alarm over Defence Department funding for research collaborations with Chinese institutions, saying these ties could aid Beijing’s military modernisation.
In a 79-page document released Friday, Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party said that open US research practices had been “exploited” by China, funnelling American resources into projects with potential military applications.
The committee said its review uncovered almost 1,400 papers published between June 2023 and June 2025 that acknowledged Pentagon support and included Chinese co-authors.
More than half involved organisations tied to China’s defence sector, according to the report.
Those studies drew on about 700 separate US defence grants worth over $2.5 billion and spanned sensitive fields such as artificial intelligence, quantum sensing, hypersonics, semiconductors, and advanced propulsion, SCMP reported.
Lawmakers argued these are areas directly relevant to military capability.
The report faulted existing Defence Department policies, noting they do not explicitly prevent cooperation with foreign institutions already listed by Washington as security risks. The committee said this approach allowed projects to continue despite strategic concerns.
“Legality does not equal strategic prudence,” the lawmakers wrote, adding that Chinese universities and institutes operate under a state-led model in which research is aligned with national strategic priorities, including defence.
His proposal would bar funding for projects with Chinese organisations flagged as security risks and require greater disclosure of foreign links by US-based researchers.
Responding to the findings, the spokesperson of Chinese embassy in Washington Liu Pengyu called the report “groundless".
Beijing had earlier said that cooperation in science and technology with the United States is “mutually beneficial.”
The committee noted, however, that some within the department argue research should remain open if it is fundamental in nature, widely disseminated, and not subject to classification or export controls.
The panel’s conclusions echo earlier findings that federal research funding has indirectly supported Chinese advances in high-tech sectors over the past decade.
Several US universities have already withdrawn from joint programmes with Chinese partners following congressional scrutiny.
