You’ve probably heard the old saying, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Well, a shocking new report suggests that China’s Communist Party (CCP) is doing just that – right inside America’s top colleges.
At Stanford University, a place known for its high-tech research and smart students, a student-run newspaper just dropped a bombshell.
According to their report, Chinese spies might have been sneaking around campus for years, pretending to be students and cozying up to young researchers.
Their goal? Steal American secrets.
One brave Stanford student, using the name “Anna” to stay safe, told Fox News how it happened to her.
It started with a man calling himself “Charles Chen” who acted friendly at first – offering networking tips and even a free trip to China.
But pretty soon, things got creepy. He wanted her to only chat on WeChat (an app controlled by the Chinese government), told her to delete their conversations, and even explained how to sneak into China without raising red flags.
Anna did the right thing. She called the authorities. What they found was shocking.
Turns out Charles Chen wasn’t a Stanford student at all. He had been pretending online for years, changing his name and targeting students – mostly women – who were studying topics related to China.
Experts told Anna that “Chen” was likely working for China’s Ministry of State Security (MSS). That’s basically China’s version of the CIA.
And this isn’t just about one creepy guy. Students told Fox News they uncovered a whole system set up to spy on American students and their research.
One student explained it this way:
- First, they trick students into sharing information.
- Then, they test if those students are “loyal” to the CCP.
- Finally, they demand the stolen information be sent back to China.
And if a student says no? Their families back home in China might get threatened or even questioned by police.
It gets worse.
Students say every Chinese international student could be ordered to spy at any time.
That means recording professors, stealing research on sensitive tech like artificial intelligence, and even spying on fellow students.
This isn’t just a Stanford problem.
The House Select Committee on China warned last year that Chinese spies are targeting STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) research all over the U.S.
Some students and experts say Stanford – and other universities – have been too afraid to speak up. Why? Because they’re worried about being called racist.
But as Hudson Institute’s Michael Sobolik put it, “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” He says universities need to stop worrying about woke politics and start calling out the CCP’s spying.
Sobolik added that the CCP hides behind the Chinese people, using them as a shield. Americans need to understand that criticizing the CCP is not the same as criticizing Chinese people.
Stanford, for its part, told Fox News it takes national security seriously.
The university says it doesn’t do classified research, but they are now looking into the student newspaper’s report and have reached out to federal law enforcement.
Even former California GOP Congresswoman Michelle Steel weighed in, saying the situation is “very dangerous.” She warned that hundreds of millions of dollars from China are flowing into American universities.
Steel also backed President Trump’s view that China is America’s biggest threat – especially when it comes to our schools.
She also made an important point.
“We have to protect innocent Chinese students who are being used by the CCP,” she said. “But at the same time, we have to do better at vetting who comes into our universities and who is allowed to operate here – including diplomats.”
Of course, China’s government denies everything.
The Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., told Fox News the whole report is full of “false information” and “political lies.” They accused the U.S. of slandering Chinese students and trying to hurt educational cooperation.
But many experts say the facts speak for themselves.
This is about protecting American research, protecting students – both American and Chinese – and standing up to the world’s most dangerous authoritarian regime.
Because if we don’t, we’re handing over America’s future to China on a silver platter.
This article was written with the assistance of AI. Please verify information and consult additional sources as needed.
