Washington, Oct 26 (IANS) A US university has decided to bring forward the closure of a joint undergraduate programme with a Chinese institution, which it had earlier planned to run until 2029, as a Pentagon drive to scrutinise American universities’ research links with China gathers pace, a report has detailed.
According to a report in South China Morning Post (SCMP), Virginia Tech is accelerating the end of its programme with Xidian University at a time when the Pentagon’s push has led to more than 80 termination-related actions across 30 American colleges, with some institutions scaling back their academic partnerships with Chinese universities.
Margaret Ashburn, Virginia Tech’s Associate Director of Media Relations and Deputy Spokesperson, shared with the publication a copy of the university’s letter to the Pentagon and said the decision to speed up the closure had been taken recently.
“The programme noted in the letter will officially terminate after the current academic year,” Ashburn told the SCMP.
In the letter, the university said it had decided in 2025 to wind down the programme and had stopped fresh admissions, though students already enrolled were allowed to continue until 2029. It also listed steps taken to address security concerns ahead of the full shutdown, including research security briefings for faculty members before and after their trips to Xidian University.
The letter further clarified that recent joint publications with Shandong University, which was added to the US blacklist in July, stemmed from earlier work, and that active collaboration with the institution had ended in 2019.
It remains unclear how the early shutdown will affect students currently enrolled in the programme, the report said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington accused the US of politicising scientific research and education, saying the security curbs undermined bilateral exchanges and ran counter to global scientific cooperation.
“China urges the US to stop making groundless vilification against Chinese research institutions,” an Embassy spokesperson said, according to the report.
In August, the US Department of Defence directed 30 universities to audit their foreign research ties, including partnerships with Chinese institutions on its blacklist, formally known as the Section 1286 list, or risk losing federal funding.
On Monday, the Pentagon said the 30 universities had completed initial audits and addressed relationships flagged as potential security risks, and named seven, including Virginia Tech, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Southern California, for their swift action.
“The department commends the institutions that took decisive action to mitigate relationships that could expose American research to foreign exploitation,” Under Secretary of Defence for Research and Engineering Emil Michael said.
--IANS
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