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‘Vulnerable to sabotage’: Dept. of Ed. investigates UMich for foreign funding problems

Investigation follows federal charges filed against several Chinese UMich affiliates

The University of Michigan is now under federal investigation over allegations it did not properly disclose foreign funding as required by law.

The Department of Education investigation, announced on Tuesday, follows the arrest and charging of several University of Michigan affiliates (pictured) with ties to China.

Individuals have been charged with smuggling in illegal substances, including a crop fungus described as an “agroterrorism weapon” and “biological material related to round worm.”

The investigation follows “a review of the university’s foreign reports” which “revealed inaccurate and incomplete disclosures.” The university must turn over further records as part of the investigation.

“Despite the University of Michigan’s history of downplaying its vulnerabilities to malign foreign influence, recent reports reveal that UM’s research laboratories remain vulnerable to sabotage, including what the U.S. Department of Justice recently described in criminal charges as ‘potential agroterrorism’ by Chinese nationals affiliated with UM,” Chief Investigation Counsel Paul Moore stated in a news release.

The university has “both a moral and legal obligation to be completely transparent about its foreign partnerships,” Moore said.

He stated further:

Unfortunately, tens of millions of dollars in foreign funding in UM’s disclosure reports have been reported in an untimely manner and appear to erroneously identify some of UM’s foreign funders as ‘nongovernmental entities,’ even though the foreign funders seem to be directly affiliated with foreign governments. OGC will vigorously investigate this matter to ensure that the American people know the true scope of foreign funding and influence on our campuses.

The news release also referenced the university’s former partnership with the Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

That partnership ended following scrutiny from Michigan Republican Congressman John Moolenaar.

Students from that university were federally charged after they were caught taking photos at a military base hundreds of miles from campus.

Last month, national security experts interviewed by The Fix called on the federal government to further investigate the university following a handful of accusations against Chinese nationals affiliated with the university, including those referenced above.

A Chinese national at the University of Michigan has also been accused of illegally voting and subsequently fled the country.

“The alarming incidents involving Chinese researchers connected to the University of Michigan warrant further investigation by university officials and the federal law enforcement and national security communities,” Foundation for American Innovation fellow Dan Lips told The Fix in June. He is also a former FBI agent.

“Past federal investigations have revealed a concerted strategy by the Chinese Communist Party to exploit the openness of American higher education and to recruit researchers to advance Beijing’s aims,” Lips, a former staffer on the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee also told The Fix.

Congressman Moolenaar also called for an investigation into the labs operated by the University of Michigan which were tied to the Chinese nationals.

MORE: Americans’ trust in Ivy Leagues is tanking, poll finds

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDITS: Accused Chinese University of Michigan researchers Yungqing Jian and Chengxuan Han; University of Michigan; Sanilac County Sheriff’s Office

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About the Author
Associate Editor
Matt has previously worked at Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action and Turning Point USA. While in college, he wrote for The College Fix as well as his college newspaper, The Loyola Phoenix. He previously interned for government watchdog group Open the Books. He holds a B.A. from Loyola University-Chicago and an M.A. from the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He lives in northwest Indiana with his family.