Eastern Michigan University (EMU) has announced the termination of its teaching partnerships with Guangxi University (GU) and Beibu Gulf University (BGU) in China. This decision, made public on May 28th, follows a February 18th letter from Representatives John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.), expressing concerns about the partnerships.

Representative Moolenaar, Chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and Representative Walberg, Chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, voiced apprehensions about the potential risks to U.S. research and technology posed by these affiliations. They highlighted the CCP’s efforts to exploit American economic and national security, suggesting that these partnerships provided a direct avenue for such actions.

In a June 3rd statement, Representative Moolenaar praised EMU’s decision, emphasizing the threat posed by university affiliations with entities linked to the CCP. He underscored the CCP’s strategic goal of exploiting U.S. assets and the role these partnerships played in facilitating that exploitation.

EMU’s move reflects a growing trend among American universities to critically examine their international partnerships in light of national security concerns. The decision highlights the ongoing debate surrounding the balance between academic collaboration and the protection of sensitive information and technologies.