Stanford Review Uncovers Alleged CCP Espionage Operation on Campus
A report by the Stanford Review, the student newspaper at Stanford University, alleges a growing pattern of espionage efforts by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) targeting American academic research at the university.
According to the report, CCP agents have impersonated students as part of a “nontraditional collection effort” to gain access to research. The newspaper claims that some Chinese nationals studying at Stanford are working as spies on behalf of the CCP, focusing on STEM-related fields such as artificial intelligence to gather information and relay findings to China.
The report highlighted one instance in which an individual posed as a Stanford student and contacted another student involved in “sensitive research on China.” The impersonator reportedly pressured the student to fly to Beijing and suggested keeping the visit between 24 and 144 hours “to avoid visa scrutiny by authorities.” The agent also insisted on communicating through an app monitored by the CCP.
After the student alerted authorities, it was discovered that the impersonator had falsely claimed to be a Stanford student for years and had targeted multiple individuals, primarily women conducting China-related research.
“Many Chinese [nationals] have handlers; they [CCP] want to know everything that’s going on at Stanford,” an unnamed Chinese national attending the university told the Stanford Review. “This is a very normal thing. They just relay the information they have.”
The report draws parallels to previous incidents, including a 2020 case where a Chinese national and student researcher, Chen Song, was accused of concealing her ties to the Chinese military and transmitting research findings to Chinese government officials. Those charges were later dropped under the Biden administration due to technical issues involving a visa application, according to a report by the Daily Caller.
The Stanford Review noted that such incidents are rarely made public. According to unnamed Stanford insiders, public disclosures regarding espionage on campus only occur under extraordinary circumstances, as the university maintains a policy of withholding such information.
In March, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (SCCCP) issued a warning to Stanford leadership about the need for greater transparency amid ongoing suspicions of foreign espionage.
“Our nation’s universities, long regarded as the global standard for excellence and innovation, are increasingly used as conduits for foreign adversaries to illegally gain access to critical research and advanced technology,” the committee wrote to Stanford president Jonathan Levin. “America’s student visa system has become a Trojan horse for Beijing, providing unrestricted access to our top research institutions and posing a direct threat to our national security. If left unaddressed, this trend will continue to displace American talent, compromise research integrity, and fuel China’s technological ambitions at our expense.”
