US Tech Firms Must Stop Helping China’s Defense-Linked Organizations
Additions to the U.S. blacklist are welcome and overdue, but companies need to be warier of others as well.
By Ryan Fedasiuk and Emily Weinstein
December 23, 2020
When the U.S. Commerce Department expanded its blacklist by 77 institutions last Friday, it added five Chinese universities: Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Tianjin University, and Beijing Institute of Technology. Sanctioning schools might seem strange or severe at first glance, but the Chinese Communist Party relies heavily on universities in its broader strategy of technology acquisition from abroad and military-civil fusion. The sanctions illustrate why U.S. companies must step up due diligence when collaborating with Chinese universities.
Some have questioned the move, insisting there is no harm in working with educational institutions. After all, it is in the United States’ interest to preserve an open and collaborative global research environment; international partnerships are the lifeblood of the U.S. science and technology ecosystem. However, a number of Chinese institutions pose clear risks to U.S. national security, and it’s long past time that U.S. companies operating in China recognized this fact.
https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2020/12/us-tech-firms-must-stop-helping-chinas-defense-linked-organizations/170978/
