The CCP influence at Harvard University raises alarm as a new report from Strategy Risks shows that the Chinese Communist Party has turned the Ivy League into “a fertile human capital recruiting ground.” The report highlights multimillion-dollar donations that paved the way for collaborations on “sensitive and advanced technologies” with Chinese security agencies and universities.
Between 2013 and 2023, Harvard received nearly $94 million from Chinese donors, including over $18 million in 2023 alone . Investigators found joint research ties with China’s missile and quantum programs. For example, a physics professor co-authored a 2023 paper with a researcher from the PLA-linked National University of Defense Technology—a school sanctioned for nuclear-computer work .
Moreover, Harvard’s T.H. Chan School ran executive training in 2023 and 2024 with China’s National Healthcare Security Administration that included participants from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC)—a paramilitary group sanctioned by the U.S. for its role in the Uyghur genocide. Strategy Risks CEO Isaac Stone Fish called the situation “deeply troubling,” noting Harvard may have prioritized engagement with China over human rights concerns.
These revelations have triggered pushback from U.S. policymakers and the Trump administration, which is reassessing billions in federal funding to Harvard. Critics argue that the university may have violated sanctions and enabled CCP influence within America’s academic circles.
Harvard defended itself, asserting that the training was arranged by Chinese authorities and served public health goals. Yet analysts worry that blurred funding lines could compromise U.S. national security and academic integrity.
