The University of Michigan has decided to terminate its collaboration with a well-known Chinese institution following the indictment of five Chinese students linked to suspicious actions near a military installation.
Santa Ono, the president of the University of Michigan, communicated this decision to a member of Congress, outlining that the university has commenced a six-month process to formally end its partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University. In his correspondence, Ono emphasized the importance of international academic collaborations, while also highlighting the university’s serious approach to national security matters and the heightened scrutiny it would impose on visa protocols for international students.
This move to sever ties with the Chinese university adds to a growing trend among American educational institutions distancing themselves from counterparts in China. Lawmakers in the U.S. have raised concerns that American universities might unintentionally assist in enhancing China’s military technology capabilities. Other institutions, such as the Georgia Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley, have made similar announcements to end their collaborations with China.
In Michigan, U.S. Representative John Moolenaar, who oversees the House Select Committee focused on the Chinese Communist Party, urged the university to dissolve its joint program after the October charges against the students, who were alleged to have misled authorities and attempted to conceal their activities. These students were initially flagged by law enforcement in August 2023 around Camp Grayling, where a large-scale military exercise was taking place.
It appears the five students are no longer present in the United States and have not responded to court proceedings. Moolenaar’s letter pointed out that Shanghai Jiao Tong University is associated with numerous military-oriented research initiatives that contribute to China’s modernization and intelligence capabilities. Ono later confirmed the decision to end the partnership to Moolenaar.
In a notable past incident in 2020, two Chinese students at the university were convicted for illegally photographing sensitive sites at a military base in Key West, Florida. Furthermore, in October, a Chinese student from the University of Michigan faced charges for casting an illegal vote, marking an unusual occurrence of a non-citizen participating in the electoral process.
