China Hawks Pile on Harvard

A group of House Republicans is demanding detailed records and testimony from Harvard University over what they characterize as troubling connections to sanctioned Chinese and Iranian entities, alleging potential violations of U.S. law and risks to national security.

In a letter addressed to Harvard President Alan Garber, Chairman John Moolenaar of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party accused the university of “providing services to a sanctioned paramilitary group,” collaborating with China’s military-linked academic institutions on U.S. defense-funded research, and partnering on studies funded by the Iranian government.

Citing the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) as a “primary implementer of the CCP’s genocide against the Uyghurs,” the Committee alleged that Harvard hosted and trained XPCC members through its China Health Partnership, including on at least three occasions after XPCC was placed on the Treasury Department’s Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list in 2020.

“Harvard must provide the American people an explanation for this conduct,” the letter stated, warning that such engagements “may violate U.S. law and could have been deployed by XPCC to further repress the Uyghur people.”

Lawmakers also flagged Harvard’s research partnerships involving Chinese universities publicly linked to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), such as Tsinghua, Zhejiang, and Beihang universities. These collaborations allegedly occurred on Department of Defense-funded projects involving sensitive technologies including optics, polymer science, and robotics.

Further scrutiny is directed toward Harvard researchers’ organ transplantation work with China-based scientists, given long-standing allegations of organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience in the PRC. Lawmakers requested specific documentation on safeguards related to such research.

The Committee’s inquiry extends to Iranian ties as well, citing at least four instances since 2020 where Harvard-affiliated researchers allegedly co-authored studies with PRC-based collaborators, using funding from the Iranian National Science Foundation—an entity the Committee notes is controlled by Iran’s Supreme Council for the Cultural Revolution.

The letter demands responses by June 2, 2025, including a detailed list of all Department of Defense-funded research involving PRC collaborators, documentation of export control and sanctions compliance protocols, and testimony from named Harvard faculty.

The inquiry falls under the jurisdiction of the Select Committee on the CCP and the Committee on Education and the Workforce, which jointly claim oversight authority over foreign influence, national security, and U.S. educational institutions.

No immediate response has been issued by Harvard University.

[Letter Text]