A congressional probe found that over the past two years, the Pentagon financed hundreds of projects with Chinese universities and defense-linked institutes, including several blacklisted by Washington for ties to Beijing’s military.
The report, released Friday by House Republicans on the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, argues the projects have allowed China to exploit U.S. research partnerships for military gains while the two countries are locked in a tech and arms rivalry.
"American taxpayer dollars should be used to defend the nation - not strengthen its foremost strategic competitor,” Republicans wrote in the report.
"Failing to safeguard American research from hostile foreign exploitation will continue to erode U.S. technological dominance and place our national defense capabilities at risk," it said.
The Pentagon and didn't immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.
