US official: Harvard under scrutiny for alleged financial ties to China

US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has supposed that Harvard University is accused of receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from China through tuition payments made by Chinese students, allowing the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) priorities to take precedence on campus. 

Thousands of Chinese students have studied in the United States, generating significant tuition revenue for American institutions, while also receiving grants for programmes reportedly funded by the Chinese government, Caliber.Az reports, citing Noem’s interview with foreign media.

Noem said that she did not know the exact figures but estimated the amount to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars, explaining that foreign students had been paying full tuition for years and receiving grants for participating in programmes ultimately funded by China.

Highlighting concerns in Washington over these connections, Noem warned that the presence of Chinese students may have taken opportunities away from American students. 

She further accused Harvard of prioritising the interests of the Chinese Communist Party and its students, claiming the university allowed participation in paramilitary activities on campus, supported these efforts, and allegedly passed information to what she described as enemy of the US — communist China.

By Naila Huseynova