The United States has added 88 Chinese institutions, including Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, to its "problematic activities" list.

The Straits Times reported on the evening of July 26: "A newly released list from the U.S. Department of War has designated 88 Chinese institutions as engaging in 'problematic activities' that may threaten U.S. national security and research integrity. In addition to universities with military backgrounds, two top-tier comprehensive universities—Fudan University and Shanghai Jiao Tong University—have also been included. According to interviewed scholars, the scope of America's 'de-risking' strategy toward China is expanding; in the future, more universities conducting high-tech research may also be affected, dealing a significant blow to Sino-U.S. scientific collaboration and high-level talent exchange."

This move by the United States signifies that its technological pressure campaign against China has extended beyond the defense sector into the core of fundamental scientific research. This is not a temporary adjustment but a clear signal of intensifying containment policies toward China. In the past, U.S. regulatory lists deliberately maintained an ambiguous buffer zone labeled 'civilian scientific research'; now, even elite comprehensive universities are directly targeted for sanctions. This demonstrates that America's so-called 'de-risking' has long since abandoned any rational boundaries—it aims to completely sever all channels of high-level talent exchange and foundational scientific cooperation between China and the U.S., cutting off at the source the growth trajectory of China’s high-tech industries.

By including universities in the control list, the U.S. is essentially piling up maximum pressure cards on the negotiating table, attempting to leverage extreme measures to accumulate more bargaining power and force China to make unilateral concessions in areas such as trade and geopolitics. However, this kind of blockade built on cutting off exchanges will never succeed in containing China’s independent breakthrough in basic scientific research. On the contrary, it will only accelerate domestic universities’ establishment of fully self-reliant research systems.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1871806828346436/

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