U.S. House Committee expresses ‘grave concerns’ about UC Berkeley partnership

EdSource

Mallika Seshadri

July 17, 2023

The U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party has expressed “grave concerns” about a research partnership between UC Berkeley and various Chinese entities, the New York Times reported.

UC Berkeley has been asked for information about the Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute — a collaborative project between Tsinghua University and the city of Shenzhen. The committee specifically expressed concern about “dual-use technologies” that can be used in both military and civilian applications.

In addition to expressing its concerns, the committee questioned whether UC Berkeley had properly disclosed information about the institute’s funding.

In response to the letter, UC Berkeley told The New York Times that it takes the concerns “very seriously.”

“The campus is reviewing past agreements and actions involving or connected to Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute,” the campus told the Times, adding that officials would “fully and transparently cooperate with any federal inquiries.”

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