January 1, China Taps US Energy Research for Military Edge

Wyatt’s Take

• House investigators say China used Department of Energy research for its military.
• Thousands of taxpayer-funded studies involved Chinese military-linked groups.
• Officials urge tighter controls to protect American innovation.

China is reportedly exploiting American energy research to help its own military and technology sectors, according to a House panel’s report. The investigation found over 4,000 Department of Energy-funded studies from the last two years connected to Chinese institutions, many linked to China’s defense industry.

About half of these projects were conducted with Chinese military research centers or state-owned defense firms. Lawmakers called out the Energy Department for failing to safeguard taxpayer dollars and warned that American science is being used to advance China’s power.

“This investigation reveals a deeply alarming problem: The Department of Energy failed to ensure the security of its research, and it put American taxpayers on the hook for funding the military rise of our nation’s foremost adversary,” said House committee chairman John Moolenaar.

He continued, “The department, which oversees critical research and technological innovation, allowed research collaborations that were exploited by China. The department must stop providing funding to grantees who allow this exploitation and protect hard-earned taxpayer dollars.”

Some of the groups listed in the report—including the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics and defense-related universities—are known for nuclear weapons research and are already sanctioned by the US government. The committee detailed cases where US professors worked with Chinese labs affiliated with these entities, sometimes for decades.

One high-profile example is Stanford’s Wendy Mao, who partnered with a group linked to China’s nuclear weapons program and whose research focuses on materials science. While her work did not directly study weapons, experts warned that the know-how could benefit military uses.

Mao’s research group, HPSTAR, is under US trade restrictions due to its nuclear ties. She also has family connections to HPSTAR, which was founded by her father, a scientist who previously worked in the US.

China’s US embassy called the report a “smear” and claimed the committee is only out for political gain. “A handful of U.S. politicians are overstretching the concept of national security to obstruct normal scientific research exchanges, a move that wins no public support and is bound to fail,” said embassy spokesman Liu Pengyu.

US science officials warned that China continues to seek out American researchers, even as investigations draw more attention to these ties. The acting chief of staff at the National Science Foundation said several researchers had been approached just last week.

The House China committee urged the Department of Energy to review all involved research and assess any security risks or technological losses.

Read the full story here.

Wyatt Matters

Every tax dollar should help our people, not foreign rivals. Protecting American research is a matter of common sense and national strength for families in the heartland.