China ties between elite American universities and a Chinese investment firm are drawing fresh scrutiny after a major biotech deal linked to Beijing’s military and human rights abuses. Hillhouse Investment Management, heavily backed by U.S. institutions including Yale and Princeton, bought part of WuXi AppTec’s China-based clinical research business in October.
WuXi AppTec has faced repeated warnings from U.S. officials. In a 2024 letter, former House China committee chairman Mike Gallagher said the company “operates genetic testing centers established in coordination with the [People’s Liberation Army],” enabling Beijing “to identify and separate Uyghur Muslims from other residents.” Gallagher added that “this practice has been a key pillar of the CCP’s genocide in the region.”
Despite those concerns, WuXi AppTec leadership praised the sale. “We are confident that Hillhouse’s expertise and teams will enable these businesses to reach new heights and deliver continued excellence in clinical research and site management,” said Steve Yang, the firm’s co-CEO.
Hillhouse’s funding base includes Yale, which turned a $20 million investment into a reported $2 billion return, as well as Stanford and Princeton. Lawmakers have increasingly warned that such China ties expose U.S. capital to national security risks. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently said that “investments propping up Communist China’s aggression must come to an end.”
Concerns intensified after intelligence officials told senators that WuXi AppTec transferred U.S. intellectual property to Beijing without consent. Hillhouse has also invested in Yitu Technology, a firm blacklisted by the United States over its role in surveillance tied to abuses in Xinjiang.
China has detained roughly one million Uyghurs in camps since 2017, prompting the U.S. government to declare the campaign a genocide in 2021.
