US colleges scale back cooperation with Chinese institutions after Pentagon’s push
Virginia Tech is accelerating the closure of a joint undergraduate programme with China’s Xidian University, bringing forward the end of a partnership that it had previously planned to keep running until 2029, according to a university spokesperson and a copy of an official letter reviewed by the South China Morning Post. This decision comes as the Pentagon’s push to tighten oversight of US…
The Pentagon has pushed US colleges to scale back cooperation with Chinese institutions, resulting in over 80 termination-related actions affecting 30 American universities. Virginia Tech has decided to accelerate the closure of its undergraduate program with China’s Xidian University, bringing the termination forward from its planned end in 2029 to the current academic year.
The university has introduced mitigation measures, such as security briefings for faculty traveling to Xidian University, in response to security concerns. The Pentagon ordered the audits of foreign research ties, including partnerships with Chinese institutions on its blacklist, as part of efforts to tighten oversight. Some prestigious universities, like Harvard and MIT, are on the blacklist.
While seven universities were praised for their swift actions in compliance with the audit, pushback from other institutions and accusations of politicizing academic exchanges have emerged.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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