GOP Lawmakers Target Georgia Tech China Ties

Congressional Republicans are demanding answers from Georgia Tech regarding its partnership with Tianjin University, a Chinese university with significant ties to the Chinese military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

Georgia Tech is home to the Georgia Tech Research Institute, whose mission is to solve national security problems with the Department of Defense.

The lawmakers decried Georgia Tech’s use of its Department of Defense research institute to fund sensitive research with Tianjin University, which was placed on a U.S. government blacklist for stealing American technology with military applications.

Moreover, the lawmakers expressed concern over millions of dollars that Georgia Tech accepted from the People's Republic of China (PRC) to support its partnership with the blacklisted university, in addition to other PRC funding that the university appeared to neglect reporting to U.S. officials.

The initiative is being led by House CCP Committe Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI),  Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, 

In the letter to Georgia Tech president Ángel Cabrera, the lawmakers write “Despite Tianjin University’s links to the PLA and its efforts to steal dual-use U.S. trade secrets, Georgia Tech has continued collaborating with the university as it has done since at least 2013.

"While Georgia Tech is now prohibited from exporting sensitive technologies to Tianjin University due to the Entity List’s prohibitions, it has collaborated with Tianjin University and at least one other PLA-linked entity on developing sensitive technologies.

“Relatedly, it is not clear that Georgia Tech has fulsomely disclosed its funding for its broader Tianjin University initiatives. The Shenzhen government has allocated at least $250 million for the construction of the Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI) campus, signifying its importance to the PRC government. However, Georgia Tech does not appear to have reported that funding to the U.S. Department of Education, according to a review of public data."

[Link to letter]