The investigation comes after three Chinese people bound at the University of Michigan were accused of smuggling biological dangers into the US
Chinese citizen, student charged with smuggling fungi into us
Chinese scientists and students at the University of Michigan face conspiracy and smuggling.
Fox-2 Detroit
Detroit – The Trump administration is investigating potential foreign influence at the University of Michigan, claiming that the school is indifferent to national security concerns raised by the FBI.
In a letter sent to the university on July 15, the US Department of Education took over 30 days to the university over five years of records related to foreign contributions, foreign research cooperation, international students and visas, and the names and contact information of school staff who oversee all of them.
The letter states that the university has received $375 million in foreign funding since 2020, and is delayed in reporting about $86 million of that amount. The letter also states that schools spend more than $2 billion each year on research, with about half of which coming from the federal government.
“In addition, many of UM’s disclosure reports appear to include transactions in which counterparties were misidentified as non-government by UM,” wrote Paul Moore, the Department of Education’s chief investigative advisor.
The university must submit a six-month report to the department detailing foreign contacts and funding. According to the letter, a review of the university’s filings “disclose that incomplete, inaccurate and premature disclosures may have been filed by UM, as it may violate the statutory disclosure obligation of a foreign funding.”
University spokeswoman Colleen Mastoney said in a statement that the school is committed to advancing knowledge and serving the people of Michigan and the world.
“The University of Michigan is responsible for a very serious compliance with the law and will fully cooperate with federal agents,” she said. “We strongly condemn actions that aim to cause harm, threaten national security, and undermine the university’s important public mission.”
The investigation is the latest battle between the Trump administration and schools, including the use of anti-Semitism, diversity, equity and inclusion on campus.
The Ministry of Education cites recent incidents involving Chinese scientists
According to Reuters, universities with ties to China are also under federal scrutiny, so China may be using a publicly- and federally-funded research environment in the US to circumvent export controls and other national security laws. In May, State Department spokesman Tammy Bruce said the US would not tolerate university “exploitation” through research from the Chinese Communist Party or US and theft of intellectual property.
The Department of Education investigation comes after three Chinese people were recently charged with attempting to smuggle dangerous biological materials into the United States for use at the University of Michigan Institute.
In June, federal authorities accused two Chinese scientists of smuggling into the United States, denounced the “dangerous” fungi that cause crop diseases, allowing one of them to study the pathogen in a university lab. A few days later, another Chinese scientist was charged with allegedly submitting biological materials related to roundworms for research at university.
“Despite a history of the University of Michigan’s vulnerability reduced foreign influence, recent reports reveal that UM’s research lab remains vulnerable to obstruction,” Moore said in a separate statement.
The Ministry of Education letter also said in January that the university closed the joint research institute that it ran with Shanghai Ziaoton University after Rep. John Mourenar, a Republican from Caledonia, had highlighted its schools’ ties with the Chinese military.
“UM continues to substantial research collaboration with Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan University and Zhjiang University. All universities are deeply involved in China’s emerging science and technology research efforts that are directly linked to military programs,” the letter states.
According to the letter, Ann Qi Lin, director of the University of Michigan Center for China Studies, met with the FBI director in December 2022, accusing her of exaggerating the threat of technology transfer in the academic environment.
“Lynn’s claims seem unthinkable,” Moore wrote in the letter. “Lin’s apparent indifference to national security for the US taxpayers, the biggest single source of funding for UM’s annual research spending, is particularly volatile.”
contribution: Christina Hall, Detroit Free Press. Thao Nguyen, USA Today; Reuters
