A months-long investigation by the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party into USC’s Chinese national students culminated in a report published Sept. 19 recommending that the Department of State “impose[s] restrictions” on visa-holding Chinese nationals.

The report alleged that the United States’ current visa policies enable students from universities allegedly tied to China’s defense entities to study in the U.S. Other universities, such as the University of Maryland, Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, were also investigated for the report. 

The committee report stated that Chinese national students who attend select Chinese universities pose a threat to the United States by feeding military research information to the Chinese Communist Party.

“If left unaddressed, the [People’s Republic of China] will continue to convert U.S.-funded research into military capabilities that threaten American service members, our foreign allies, and our democratic values,” the report read.

This update comes amid the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on higher education, including alleged antisemitism and support for transgender people. The House committee investigation began in March with a letter addressed to the University requesting data on Chinese national students. 

According to the investigation, USC’s Chinese student body was affiliated with 51 Chinese universities that allegedly supported China’s defense- industrial base, some of which are blacklisted by the U.S. government. The report stated that USC surpasses other U.S. universities in maintaining connections to Chinese universities affiliated with military research. 

Of the seven Chinese universities in the “Seven Sons of Ordinance/Arms Industry,” USC hosts graduate students associated with four. The group of universities has ties to state-owned weapons manufacturers and defense groups. These universities are distinguished from the “Seven Sons of National Defense,” a group of universities with an emphasis on advancing defense research; USC had students affiliated with all seven.

In an Aug. 6 statement to the Daily Trojan, the University wrote that it was cooperating with the select committee’s investigation, providing the percentage of Chinese graduates remaining in the United States or returning to China, a list of all universities the students previously attended, the sources of their tuition funding, and a list of their affiliated research initiatives and laboratories.

In response to questions about the new report, the University maintained that it is committed to defense against security threats.

“USC already maintains strong safeguards to protect national security – by requiring the disclosure of foreign financial interests and affiliations, strictly reviewing potential conflicts of interest, and prohibiting participation in restricted foreign talent programs – and we are always open to feedback on how our processes can be strengthened even further,” the University wrote in a statement to the Daily Trojan on Monday.

In order to bolster institutional safeguards, the report endorses a few recommendations: more secure visa screening laws, strengthened vetting criteria, clear eligibility requirements and mandatory reporting requirements. Additionally, restrictions on allowing Chinese students to reside in the U.S. may go into place in order to prevent inclusion in federally funded research. 

Since the late 19th century, the U.S. has supported international academic exchange in higher education. However, the committee report stated that including these diverse perspectives and bridging global discourses “must not come at the expense of national security.” 

The report claimed that the Biden administration was lax in banning Chinese nationals involved in military-related research, and stated that American taxpayers are funding Ph.D. programs for Chinese international students that are involved in military research. To the committee, these discoveries are considered “deeply troubling.”