US report on Chinese ‘spy threat’ to universities ‘may have chilling effect’ on ties
Report that identified Beijing as top espionage threat to university and tech sectors prompts warning about impact on academic exchanges
The report, compiled by the National Counterintelligence and Security Centre, alongside the Department of Education and other federal bodies, was published online on Monday, and said: “The Chinese Communist Party and Chinese intelligence services represent the broadest, most active, and persistent espionage threat to the US. It also remains the top threat to US technology competitiveness.”
It cited Beijing’s Thousand Talents Plan to recruit scientific and technological expertise from abroad in warning that China was targeting US specialists in fields such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, quantum technology, semiconductors, optics, hypersonics and energy systems to access sensitive technology and intellectual property.
It also argued that “foreign adversaries”, including China, “infiltrate intelligence operatives into universities who then pose as students to collect information on classmates and research”.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the counter-intelligence centre, said the report was designed to “alert US colleges and universities about increasing foreign threats to their research and to arm them with mitigation strategies for addressing these threats”.