DeVos urged to probe Huawei theft claim at universities

Dozens of lawmakers are urging United States Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to launch an investigation into possible attempts by Chinese organisations to steal research and technology from US universities, writes Benjamin Wermund for Politico.

In a letter to DeVos, 26 members of Congress have called on her to compel American universities working with Huawei Technologies to turn over information on their joint projects. Huawei is a Chinese organisation that provides funding for research in communications, computer science, engineering and more. The letter from both House and Senate members, including Republican Senator Marco Rubio, says Huawei's partnerships with more than 50 US universities “threaten national security”.

The lawmakers want DeVos to probe whether any Huawei researchers “including Chinese nationals” are involved in the work at American universities. They also asked her to meet with the FBI and the director of national intelligence about Huawei and called on her to “immediately convene” a “senior-level” working group at the department to better understand Chinese attempts to steal American research and develop recommendations for universities to prevent it.
Full report on the Politico site