China has strongly criticized the U.S. House Select Committee on China for advancing what it calls a politically motivated investigation targeting educational cooperation between the two nations. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun accused the committee on Thursday of spreading disinformation and undermining bilateral ties through proposed restrictions on academic exchanges.
"The committee\'s actions lack credibility and serve only to attack China for narrow political purposes," Guo stated, emphasizing that China has lodged formal protests with U.S. authorities. He stressed that educational collaboration has long been a mutually beneficial pillar of China-U.S. relations, fostering cross-cultural understanding and aligning with public expectations in both countries.
The spokesperson warned against conflating national security concerns with academic cooperation, asserting that such efforts "find no support and will lead nowhere." Guo urged the U.S. to honor previous commitments to welcome Chinese students and safeguard the interests of both nations\' educational institutions.
This development comes amid growing scrutiny of cross-border academic activities, with analysts noting potential impacts on research partnerships and student mobility. Over 370,000 Chinese students studied in the U.S. during the 2022-23 academic year, according to Institute of International Education data.
