Georgia Tech terminated the relationship, but concerns about international control remain
Undetected resources from China, some of which paid for a cooperative venture with the foreign country, were paid for by the Georgia Institute of Technology.
However, when Georgia Tech learned about an impending report from the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, a new regulator report revealed, Georgia Tech immediately ended the relationship.
The university received at least$ 32.3 million from China, with$ 18.3 million going toward the now-terminated Georgia Tech-Shenzhen Institute, Open The Books reported.
According to University spokesman Blair Meeks, “educating kids” was the primary goal of the initiative with China. According to Meeks, GTSI didn’t concentrate on scientific studies.
Georgia Tech opened the joint venture, located in Shenzhen, China, in 2014, offering” computer technology, commercial design, ecological engineering and analysis” levels, Global Atlanta reported.
GTSI Vice Provost Yves Berthelot told Global Atlanta the Chinese state was “paying for everything”: the land, money, and operating incentives to get the system up and running.
Georgia Tech announced the end of the partnership in September,” ]j ] ust days before the House report was made public”, Open The Books reported.
According to the House committee report, these shared institutes” function as conduits for the transfer of significant U.S. technologies and experience to China, including to organizations connected to China’s defense machine and the security apparatus it employs to promote human rights abuses.”
In a press release, committee chairman John Moolenaar praised” Georgia Tech’s choice to promote U.S. regional security and get the responsible stage of shutting down the Georgia Tech-Shenzhen Institute.”
Further:’ Alarming ‘: House statement warns of China’s link to U. S. institutions
It is my hope that another American higher education institutions that have agreements with Chinese corporations will pay close attention to this and consider the impact that their endeavors in China are having on America’s long-term regional protection, he wrote.
The Fix contacted Rep. Moolenaar and the House commission via email last week for more information regarding the record, but they were unsuccessful in getting a reply.
Other experts concur that China’s role in American organizations poses a significant threat to national security.
Previous knowledge director for the captain of naval operations, Liberty University Professor Tony Cothron, told The College Fix,” The Chinese Communist Party is an existential threat to the United States.”  ,
The CCP’s “goal is to eliminate US technological, economic and military superiority to allow China to dominate the world”, Cothron said, adding that” all commercial and educational efforts ]in Communist China ] are fused with military/security interests”.
He claimed that” the CCP has no regard for intellectual property or inventions” or that it “has no training.
What’s more, Christopher Neefus, contact director of Open The Books, told The Fix that Georgia Tech has also received money from Saudi Arabia.
According to Neefus, the school’s” deals with Saudi Arabia” include payments from King Saud University to use Georgia Tech-invented technology, education in information security, thermal petrol engine systems, partnerships with Saudi Aramco, and other costs.
Additionally, the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2019 sparked disagreement over Saudi Arabian money going to American institutions, he said.
According to Neefus, Georgia Tech issued a statement after Khashoggi’s demise in which it placed” a great price on ethical and moral conduct and engages in study cooperation that adheres to those principles.” Shortly after, Georgia Tech accepted an additional$ 2.4 million from Saudi Arabia.
” Foreign influence becomes even more concerning when it’s happening in plain sight without the federal government’s knowledge”, Neefus said.
MORE: Contracts between U. S. universities, China total more than$ 2 billion
IMAGE: China Us. R_Rice/Shutterstock
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