Are One in Ten of the 300,000 Chinese Graduate Students in the United States Spies?

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) uses American campuses to control students who exercise freedom of speech at universities. (Dajiyuan, Getty Images)

[People News] According to a report by the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, Charles Flynn, the former commander of the U.S. Pacific Army, made startling comments during a closed-door seminar hosted by the Korea-U.S. Alliance Foundation. Flynn noted that there are currently around 325,000 Chinese graduate students pursuing master's and doctoral degrees in the United States, and he suspects that over 10% of them could be Chinese spies. He emphasised that such espionage activities are not limited to the United States but also extend to countries like South Korea and Japan, creating a regional security concern.

Furthermore, Flynn disclosed that the Chinese Communist Party is buying land near military facilities in an Asian country under the pretence of business, building communication towers, and acquiring local media to disseminate false information, with the aim of creating rifts between that country and the United States. The countries potentially involved may include the Philippines, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Flynn's remarks are informed by his observations of the growth of China's military capabilities during his time as commander of the Pacific Command, where he described the trajectory of the Chinese Communist Party's military as 'extremely dangerous,' with capabilities advancing beyond expectations over the last decade.

The former Pacific Army Commander, the Flynn family, is the younger brother of Michael T. Flynn, who served as National Security Advisor during President Donald Trump's first term. Michael Flynn faced accusations of having secret conversations with the Russian ambassador to Washington prior to Trump's inauguration in 2016, and was considered a key figure in the 'Russia Gate' scandal regarding Moscow's interference in the U.S. elections by leftist special prosecutors. Notably, Trump granted Flynn a pardon just before leaving office in 2020. Speculation suggests that Flynn may play a significant role in diplomacy and security during Trump's second term. Currently, his brother's comments align with the Trump administration's tough stance against the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), underscoring U.S. concerns about CCP espionage activities and heightening tensions between the U.S. and China.

According to a report by Radio Free Asia on March 14 this year, U.S. Republican Congressman Riley Moore from West Virginia is spearheading a proposal that is expected to be formally submitted to Congress on Friday (14th).

The Republican bill has garnered attention as it could lead to 300,000 Chinese students facing visa denials in the U.S. Moore's proposal is titled the 'Stop Chinese Communist Prying by Vindicating Intellectual Safeguards in Academia Act,' abbreviated as the 'Stop CCP VISAs Act.'

Mu Er remarked, "Approximately 300,000 Chinese citizens come to the United States each year on student visas. In effect, we are permitting the Chinese Communist Party to send individuals to observe our military activities, steal intellectual property, and even pose a threat to U.S. national security."