Georgia Tech is ending its research and educational partnerships in the Chinese cities of Tianjin and Shenzhen, the US university said on Friday (Sep 6), following scrutiny from Congress over its collaboration with entities allegedly linked to China’s military.

In May, the House of Representatives’ select committee on China wrote a letter to Georgia Tech asking for details on its research with China’s northeastern Tianjin University on cutting-edge semiconductor technologies.

The Chinese school and its affiliates were added in 2020 to the US Commerce Department’s export restrictions list for actions contrary to US national security, including trade secret theft and research collaboration to advance China’s military.

Spokesperson Abbigail Tumpey told Reuters in an email that Georgia Tech has been assessing its posture in China since Tianjin University was added to the entity list.

“Tianjin University has had ample time to correct the situation. To date, Tianjin University remains on the Entity List, making Georgia Tech’s participation with Tianjin University, and subsequently Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute (GTSI), no longer tenable,” Tumpey said.

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US agencies and Congress have stepped up scrutiny of China’s state-sponsored influence and technology transfers at American colleges and universities, concerned that Beijing uses open and federally funded research environments in the US to circumvent export controls and other national security laws.

The US Justice Department under President Joe Biden’s administration ended a programme from former president Donald Trump’s administration called the China Initiative intended to combat Chinese espionage and intellectual property theft. Critics had said that the programme spurred racial profiling against Asian Americans and chilled scientific research.