Reports have emerged that prestigious American universities are becoming 'targets' of spies from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), raising concerns that academic institutions are being transformed into the front lines of information warfare threatening national security.
On the 13th (local time), Fox News cited the Stanford University student newspaper 'Stanford Review' stating, 'There is a Chinese spy at Stanford,' and reported that 'the Chinese Communist Party is embedding spies at prestigious U.S. universities to extract sensitive information.'
According to the Stanford Review, an individual identified as 'Charles Chen' attempted to approach students conducting research to extract details about their work and trends.
Chen initially posed as a Stanford student, suggesting networking opportunities to students. He later led them to answer personal questions and inquiries about research topics, language proficiency, and experimental data.
According to testimonies from Stanford students, Chen pressured them to respond with confidential reports, recorded conversations, and lists of participating researchers. This raised suspicions that China's Ministry of State Security (MSS) was behind Chen. Subsequently, he was revealed to have no connection to Stanford.
The Stanford Review reported that the Chinese Communist Party is attempting to access sensitive technology research in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics.
They primarily target Chinese international students first. Those recruited among the Chinese international students are suspected of regularly communicating with officials from the Chinese embassy to report their research.
Some are reported to have handed over internal lab reports, recorded conversations with professors, and specific directions for research progress.
Last year, five Chinese international students were caught filming at Camp Grayling military training grounds in Michigan. They claimed they came to 'film meteor showers,' but Camp Grayling was a base conducting joint training with the Taiwanese military.
According to Fox News, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in the United States noted that 'educational cooperation between China and the United States has also promoted the economic prosperity and scientific and technological innovation of the United States,' urging that the United States should stop vilifying Chinese international students and stigmatizing, politicizing, and weaponizing normal educational exchanges.