Chinese nationals have been charged after allegedly smuggling dangerous material into the University of Michigan. (Getty)
Fox News Digital has extensively reported on the CCP attempting to infiltrate research facilities at universities in the U.S., including earlier this year when a bombshell report out of Stanford University outlined a "widespread intelligence-gathering campaign" by the CCP at the school.
"In short, there are Chinese spies at Stanford," the report warned.
China expert Michael Pillsbury, a Fox News contributor, told Fox News Digital that the "real problem" is that China "seems to spend more time cultivating and even having surveillance on their students than we do."
"Obviously, the FBI can’t interview all 300,000 Chinese students, but Pam Bondi correctly said in her press release that we’ve got to be vigilant about any malicious activity," Pillsbury said.
Michael Sobolik, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute focusing on U.S. and China relations, told Fox News Digital the news is "disturbing," and said lawmakers in Washington can and should do more to address the issue.
"Given the CCP’s recent track record — operating a bioweapons lab in California, stockpiling DNA of American citizens, and militarizing biotechnology more broadly — policymakers should treat the threat of weaponized biotech with the seriousness it deserves," Sobolik said. "Washington and Beijing are neck and neck when it comes to biotechnology, and the CCP is looking to exploit multiple threat vectors within the U.S. homeland. It touches multiple departments and agencies — Department of War, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, among others — and requires a unified response from the top."
Chinese President Xi Jinping reviews the honor guard during the welcome ceremony for Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa at the Great Hall of the People on May 31, 2024, in Beijing, China. (Tingshu Wang/Pool/Getty Images)
"As long as American colleges and universities continue to leave the door open for Chinese infiltration, the CCP will take advantage," Lucci said. "American higher education is a soft target for Chinese espionage, which is why state legislatures across the country are digging in to find party-state ties and curtailing research collaboration with Chinese nationals who are loyal to the CCP."
Lucci pointed to legislation introduced in Wisconsin last week aiming to protect higher education from Chinese espionage.
"Federal and state action is needed, and for now the states are leading," Lucci said. "Michigan needs to adopt a suite of solutions to protect its obviously compromised higher education system."
Andrew Mark Miller is a reporter at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to AndrewMark.Miller@Fox.com.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chinese-nationals-arrested-at-top-school-shows-how-ccp-views-u-s-universities-as-weak-link-experts-warn