US-China research has given Beijing's military technology a boost, House GOP says

Partnerships between the U.S. and China at universities over the past decade have allowed hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding to aid Beijing in developing critical technology that could be used for military purposes, congressional Republicans asserted in a new report.

The report said U.S. tax dollars have contributed to China's technological advancement and military modernization when American researchers worked with their Chinese peers in areas such as hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, nuclear technology and semiconductor technology.

The report, released Monday by Republicans on the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party and the House Education and Workforce Committee, raised concerns over the national security risks of collaborations between researchers from the two countries that were once celebrated. It urged stronger safeguards and more robust enforcement.

The committees conducted a yearlong investigation as lawmakers and their policy advisers focus on higher education's role in the economic rivalry with China, especially when it comes to technology. While American universities don't engage in secret research projects, their work — often among the best in the world — has the potential to be turned into military capabilities.

The U.S. House of Representatives this month approved about two dozen China-related bills, with a clear goal to compete with Beijing in the tech field. The bills, which still need to be approved by the Senate, seek to ban Chinese-made drones, restrict China-linked biotech companies in the U.S. market, and cut off remote Chinese access to advanced U.S. computer chips.

Other measures include those to curb Beijing's influence on U.S. college campuses and