by Guan Yan

John Moolenaar, chairman of the U.S. House Select Committee on China, sent letters on March 19 to six American universities, demanding their disclosure of detailed personal information of all Chinese students by April 1.

In the letters, Moolenaar accused Chinese students of acting as "Trojan horses" and systematically embedded researchers, while portraying American universities as "incubators of Chinese technological and military advancement."

Moolenaar's claims, with no credible evidence and a presumption of guilt, labeled over 290,000 Chinese students as potential national security threats, ignoring the fact that the vast majority of these students pursue studies in non-sensitive fields like humanities or basic sciences.

This sweeping accusation echoes Cold War-era paranoia, disregarding the principle of "innocent until proven guilty." The letters are nothing but a politically charged manifesto.

The Committee's latest move recalls the notorious "China Initiative" launched by the U.S. Department of Justice more than six years ago, under which thousands of Chinese scholars in the United States were subjected to unwarranted and disproportionate investigations, false accusations and career-destroying prosecutions. Many were ultimately exonerated, but the damage -- loss of talent and academic freedom -- remains irreparable.

By threatening to expose Chinese students' private data, Moolenaar risks repeating the violation of privacy rights and accelerating the exodus of skilled researchers from American institutions.

Equally alarming is the letters' racially-charged rhetoric, which echoes the surge of anti-Asian sentiment witnessed in recent years. Such discrimination undermines America's founding principles of openness and inclusiveness. If implemented, these policies would stifle innovation and tarnish America's global reputation as a hub for academic excellence.

Moolenaar conveniently omitted the U.S. government's increasing export controls on advanced technologies to China -- measures that have severely disrupted global scientific collaboration and supply chains. Meanwhile, Chinese students face increasing barriers, including arbitrary visa denials and unexplained deportations at U.S. airports.

These discriminatory practices have caused profound psychological distress and shattered academic aspirations, contributing to a significant decline in Chinese student enrollment in U.S. universities over the past five years. Notably, 75 percent of Chinese STEM graduates have already returned home, partly due to America's hostile policies.

It is crucial to emphasize that China's technological achievements stem from decades of domestic investment in education, economic reforms and global collaboration, not espionage. By scapegoating students, Moolenaar diverted attention from legitimate competition to manufactured threats, ignoring the mutual benefits of China-American academic exchanges. For decades, Chinese students have served as cultural ambassadors and contributed significantly to U.S. universities' academic prestige and economic vitality.

Moolenaar's actions prioritized political theatrics over rational policies. By politicizing academic research, the Committee risks fueling further visa denials and baseless prosecutions, undermining academic freedom and deterring global talent from studying in the United States. In an increasingly interconnected world, such xenophobic fearmongering only serves to isolate America.

Editor's note: Guan Yan is a commentator on China-U.S. relations and international affairs, writing for Xinhua News Agency, Global Times, China Daily, CGTN etc. He can be reached at m.franzfuhao@gmail.com.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Xinhua News Agency.

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