U.S. colleges must immediately stop their partnerships with China, a lawmaker is warning after a sinister military base spy plot involving students was exposed.
The leader of the House China Committee Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., has been warning of Chinas growing operations within the U.S., and particularly Michigan, for months.
On Wednesday, his warnings came to a head when the FBI announced charges against five Chinese University of Michigan graduates who were discovered with cameras on a military base during a live-fire exercise with U.S. and Taiwanese forces.
Even more surprising is that the graduates, who were caught in August 2023 but were just charged, are not in the FBIs custody.
In fact, the FBIs Tuesday court filing does not indicate where the men are, or if authorities know where to find them.
Now Moolenaar is issuing the stunning warning that U.S. colleges must shut down their joint efforts with Chinese universities immediately.
The FBI announced charges against five Chinese University of Michigan graduates who were discovered with cameras on a military base during a live-fire exercise with U.S. and Taiwanese forces
All of our nations universities must shut down their joint institutes with Chinese universities and enact stricter guardrails on emerging technology research, he wrote in a statement to DailyMail.com.
American universities must realize they are a target for espionage and protect the critical taxpayer-funded research they do.
The Chinese men were found at Camp Grayling - a nearly 150,000-acre complex used by the Michigan Army National Guard - using cameras near classified military communications equipment and vehicles during Northern Strike, one of the largest training exercises held in the U.S.
All of them recently graduated from the University of Michigan through a partnership program between the school and Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai, China.
This case shows once again that CCP espionage can happen anywhere in America, and we must be vigilant, Moolenaar warned.
In the FBI-submitted court filing the agency revealed there have been multiple instances of Chinese college students photographing critical U.S. defense sites.
An officer gives the range safety brief to the battalion prior to Marines firing AT-4 rockets and M320 grenade launchers on a live-fire range during Northern Strike 23 on Camp Grayling, Michigan on August 7, 2023
All of the men charged had studied at the University of Michigan
Operators from the 20th Special Forces Group conduct an aerial assault mission during a training exercise near Chester Township, Michigan, on August 6, 2022. The mission was part of Northern Strike, an annual multinational joint training event headquartered at the Camp Grayling Joint Maneuver Training Center in Michigan
Two Chinese nationals who also studied at University of Michigan were sentenced to prison for one year terms in 2020 for similarly trespassing and photographing a military site in Florida.
Camp Grayling, Moolenaar says, is of particular interest to the CCP.
He has been warning that a Chinese battery manufacturer Gotion is working to bring a massive plant to an area roughly 100 miles away from the camp.
The CCP obviously has an interest in Camp Grayling, and this is further evidence it would be a mistake for Michigan leaders to allow Gotion to build in our state, his statement continued.
State funding for Gotions plan to bring Chinese nationals to Mecosta County is an open invitation for further spying on Camp Grayling.
For national security reasons, Governor Whitmer and the legislature must revoke state funding for Gotion immediately, he said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping during a meeting in Beijing on September 20
Republican representative John Moolenaar of Michigan is the chairman of the House Select Committee on the CCP. He has warned that Chinese partnerships with U.S. universities pose a security risk
Camp Grayling features many areas where U.S. and allied soldiers train for combat
Gotion earlier this year sued Green Charter Township in Michigan for its attempt to back out of its multi-billion dollar deal with the company.
The issue centers over a deal agreed between Gotion and the previous township board, which was booted out by residents in a recall election in November 2023 over its support for the project.
Residents of Green Charter Township, Michigan voted to oust its entire local government Tuesday after the town board approved a Chinese-affiliated electric battery plant
Gotion has now accused the new board, which opposes the project on national security and environmental grounds, of failing to honor a contract that allows it access to crucial water supplies.
The lawsuit marks a dramatic escalation in a tussle which has sparked fierce debate over the perceived Chinese infiltration of American society.
A judge ruled in August that Gotion can go forward with developing its property in the area as the lawsuit goes through the courts, dealing a blow to the board.