By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-06 22:32:17 | Updated at 2026-10-06 23:13:55
49 minutes ago
House Select Committee on China Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar (R.-Mich.) is calling on the University of New Haven (UNH) to terminate its joint engineering program with Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications, or XUPT.
In an Oct. 1 letter to UNH President Jens Frederiksen, made public on Oct. 5, Moolenaar warned that the partnership could allow U.S.-supported expertise and technical knowledge to benefit China’s defense research system.
The joint school was approved by China’s Ministry of Education in May 2025 and operates on XUPT’s campus in Xi’an. UNH says its faculty teach about one-third of the courses in the three undergraduate programs.
UNH said 344 students enrolled in fall 2025 and that revenue had begun flowing to the university. Engineering dean Ronald Harichandran said in a recent newsletter that the program would help offset declining international enrollment at UNH’s U.S. campus.
The university also said that faculty were scheduled to teach remotely and spend three weeks in Xi’an beginning in spring 2026, with visits planned every semester afterward.
Neither Moolenaar’s letter nor the cited records establish that UNH faculty have participated in Chinese military projects or that U.S. federal funds, restricted technology, or intellectual property have been transferred to China’s military.
Defense Ties at Chinese Partner
XUPT’s College of Communications and Information Engineering said in November 2025 that it had pursued a talent-development model incorporating “military-civil fusion.”
Military-civil fusion is Beijing’s effort to draw civilian research, technology, and expertise into military development.
Faculty records from XUPT’s communications college also identify defense-related work. Associate professor Liu Chaowen lists participation in a National Defense Science and Technology Innovation Special Zone project, while lecturer Bai Jisheng’s university biography lists a wireless sound-and-vibration border-control system under a provincial military-civil-fusion project.
XUPT records also describe secrecy controls associated with weapons-and-equipment research. A 2021 university notice said XUPT conducted inspections under standards for a Level II confidentiality qualification for weapons and equipment scientific research and production units.
Such a qualification is used in China’s system for organizations conducting classified defense related work. The inspections covered personnel, classified materials, computer systems, facilities, and other secrecy controls.
Moolenaar also cited a 2017 XUPT event involving BeiDou, China’s satellite-navigation system and counterpart to GPS. A professor from the People’s Liberation Army’s National University of Defense Technology participated, and a BeiDou laboratory provided navigation software for XUPT faculty and students.
XUPT said its communications college would use the BeiDou work to “vigorously promote” military-civil fusion through research, talent development, technology transfer, and incubation.
UNH’s Cybersecurity Role
Moolenaar said UNH’s federal cybersecurity role adds to his concern about the partnership.
The National Security Agency has designated UNH’s cyber operations program a Center of Academic Excellence through 2030, a federal designation for cybersecurity programs that meet NSA academic criteria.
UNH also announced a $2.5 million NSA grant in 2024 to lead a five-institution workforce program focused on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and cyber threat intelligence for critical-infrastructure industries.
The cited records do not connect that grant to the China program.
The two universities also publicly describe the degree path differently. UNH says students spend three years at XUPT and transfer to Connecticut for their final year to earn a UNH degree. XUPT’s 2026 admissions rules describe a “4+0” option under which qualifying students can complete all four years in China and receive degrees from both universities.
UNH, the NSA, and XUPT did not respond to requests for clarification and comment by time of publication.
