Lawmakers echo national security officials’ concerns over joint research between US and China

For many years, American and Chinese researchers have worked side by side on cutting-edge technologies through open research, where results are freely shared and accessible to all. But this openness, a long-standing practice celebrated for advancing knowledge, raises concerns among some US lawmakers.

They worry that China – now considered the biggest rival to US military dominance – is taking advantage of open research to catch up with the United States in military technology and even gain superiority. They are demanding action.

“For too long, our adversaries have exploited America’s colleges and universities to advance their interests, while risking our national security and innovation,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas and chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. He has introduced legislation to place new restrictions on federally funded research collaborations with academics at several Chinese institutions that work with the Chinese military, as well as institutions in other countries deemed hostile to U.S. interests.

Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, urged the Department of Defense to re-examine its contract with a Chinese-owned financial company that provides tutoring to American military families. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

The House of Representatives Committee of the Chinese Communist Party places the protection of American research among its priorities, after it accused Beijing of using open research as a weapon by turning it into a “pipeline for foreign talent and military modernization.”

Growing concerns on Capitol Hill threaten to unravel two generations of deep academic ties between the two countries, even as the world’s two largest economies distance themselves from each other through tariffs and trade barriers. The relationship turned from connection to competition, if not outright hostility.

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“Foreign adversaries are increasingly exploiting the open and collaborative environment of American academic institutions for their own gain,” said James Cangialosi, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, which in August issued a bulletin urging universities to do more to protect research from foreign interference.

The House committee issued three reports in September alone. They targeted, respectively, Pentagon-funded research involving Chinese scientists connected to the military; US-China Joint Institutes that train STEM talent in China; and visa policies that brought military-connected Chinese students to Ph.D. Programs in American universities. The reports recommend more legislation to protect American research, tighten visa policies to screen Chinese students and scholars, and end academic partnerships that could be exploited to bolster China’s military powers.

More than 500 US universities and institutes have cooperated with Chinese military researchers in recent years, helping Beijing develop advanced technologies with military applications, such as anti-jamming communications and hypersonic vehicles, according to a report by the US private intelligence group Strider Technologies.

A member of the People’s Liberation Army stands as the Naval Operations Group displays YJ-19 hypersonic anti-ship missiles during a military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, in Beijing, China, September 3, 2025. (Tingshu Wang/Reuters)

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Despite efforts by the US government in recent years to create guardrails to prevent such cooperation from enhancing China’s military capabilities, the practice is still prevalent, according to Strider, who is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The report identified nearly 2,500 publications produced in collaboration between US entities and Chinese military research institutes in 2024 on STEM research, which includes physics, engineering, materials science, computer science, biology, medicine, and geology. While the number peaked at more than 3,500 in 2019, before some new restrictive measures came into effect, the level of cooperation remains high, the report said.
This cooperation not only facilitates “potentially illicit knowledge transfer,” the report said, but supports “state-directed efforts in China to recruit the best international talent, often at the expense of U.S. national interests.”

Authorities say foreign countries can exploit American research by stealing secrets for military and commercial use, by poaching talented researchers to foreign companies and universities, and by recruiting students and researchers as potential spies.
Fostering a strong academic research climate requires long-term funding and support. However, stealing the fruits of this labor could be as easy as hacking into a university network, hiring researchers, or exploiting the research itself. That’s why, authorities say, it is so tempting for America’s adversaries looking to take advantage of American institutions and research.

The Department of Homeland Security’s latest threat assessment report highlights concerns that U.S. adversaries — and China specifically — are seeking to illicitly acquire U.S. technology. Authorities say China aims to steal military and computer technology that could give the United States an advantage, as well as the latest commercial innovations.

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An employee works on a simulation experiment of an unmanned aerial vehicle at the State Key Laboratory of Public Big Data at Guizhou University in Guiyang, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, on May 23, 2023. (Liu Xu/Getty Images)

Abigail Coplin, an assistant professor of sociology, science, technology and society at Vassar College, said there are already guardrails for federally funded research to protect classified information and anything considered sensitive.

She also said that open search goes both ways, which also benefits the U.S., and restrictions may backfire by driving away talent.

“U.S. national security interests and economic competitiveness would be better served by continuing—if not increasing—research funding than by implementing costly research restrictions,” Coplin said.

Arne Bellini, a technology entrepreneur and investor, said efforts to protect American research could stifle progress if they go too far and prevent American colleges or startups from sharing information about new and emerging technology. Keeping up with China will also require significant investments in efforts to protect innovation, said Bellini, who recently donated $40 million to establish a new college for cybersecurity and artificial intelligence research at the University of South Florida.
Bellini said it is necessary to encourage research and development without revealing secrets to America’s enemies.

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“In the United States, our digital frontiers under siege are becoming a reality, and businesses of all sizes have a right to be concerned,” Bellini said.

According to Justice Department figures, about 80% of all economic espionage cases prosecuted in the United States involve alleged actions that would benefit China.

Some members of Congress have pushed for the restoration of a Justice Department program created during the first Trump administration that sought to investigate Chinese intellectual espionage. The so-called “China Initiative” ended in 2022 after critics said it failed to address the problem even as it perpetrated racist stereotyping of Asian American academics.