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Taiwan has enacted sanctions against seven universities associated with the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, citing national security concerns, as reported by Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao in the Taipei Times. He indicated that Taiwanese universities and research institutions are barred from engaging in any academic activities or exchanges with these seven Chinese institutions to safeguard technology critical to national security interests. Since 2020, students and researchers from the United States have been prohibited from studying or working at these universities. Referred to as the “seven sons of [China’s] national defense,” these institutions were originally established by the Chinese Ministry of National Defense before being transferred to the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Cheng noted.
The seven institutions comprise Beihang University, Beijing Institute of Technology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Harbin Institute of Technology, and Harbin Engineering University, as reported by Taipei Times. Cheng indicates that these universities play a crucial role in advancing Chinese military technology, as well as in the fields of aviation, telecommunications, chemicals, and material sciences, thereby supporting the objectives of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and its “united front” strategies.
Taiwan does not recognize academic credentials from the PLA-operated National University of Defense Technology, Naval Medical University, and Air Force University, despite their affiliation with Beijing’s Project 985 and Project 211, which aim to improve academic standards, as reported by the Taipei Times.
Cheng stated that individuals sometimes make poor choices due to insufficient information; the Ministry of Education addresses this issue by offering resources online and providing career counseling in high schools, as quoted by the Taipei Times. He emphasized that Taiwan’s Education Ministry is dedicated to ensuring that both students and parents are adequately informed prior to making decisions regarding their educational trajectories.
To combat technology theft, the US Department of Justice and the US Department of Commerce imposed sanctions on 18 universities, including the “seven sons,” in 2018 and 2020. The FBI has consistently asserted that Beijing orchestrates initiatives for academics and scientists to study and teach in the United States to gain access to sensitive technologies or information.
