China appears to have found yet another way to infiltrate American colleges and gain a foothold into our tech sector. A new investigation finds the controversial Chinese electronics firm Huawei is secretly funding a technology research competition at major U.S. universities, including Texas A&M. The competition is run by the D.C.-based Optica Foundation, and offers a one million dollar prize for the winning research project focused on light technologies like lasers and fiber optics. Optica defended the donations, saying they were legal and approved by the board, and that it is normal for donors to remain anonymous. But schools like A&M said they had no idea of Huawei's involvement with the event, and had they known they likely wouldn't have participated.
While the donations from Huawei are technically legal, they do raise national security concerns at a time when the Biden administration has warned about China's tech ambitions. "We want to trade with China on the vast majority of goods and services, but on those technologies that affect our national security---no," said Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo in a recent interview with 60 Minutes.
Author and China expert Michael Sobolik also warned about a growing 'cold war' with China over technology in a recent interview with Fox News. "Whether it's Huawei and 5G telecommunications or biotechnology, China has the ability to throw billions and billions of dollars at strategic sectors, because it's an authoritarian country," he said.
One of the biggest areas of Chinese and American tech advancement is in AI-infused drone technology. "China may be more advanced on their drone hardware, America might be more advanced on the software side of things, but it's neck-and-neck," says Sobolik.
"This is really advanced stuff," he continues. "And we've got to be the ones who win this fight, because let's face it, China is looking to use this stuff on the battlefield."
Photo: AFP