FBI chief says Chinese operatives have infiltrated scores of ‘naive’ US universities
Christopher Wray says his agents are ‘watching warily’ dozens of Chinese-language Confucius Institutes
The FBI on Tuesday warned US universities about Chinese intelligence operatives active on their campuses, adding that many academics display “a level of naivete” about the level of infiltration.
FBI Director Christopher Wray told the Senate Intelligence Committee that China has aggressively placed operatives at universities, “whether its professors, scientists, students,” and the bureau must monitor them from its 56 field offices across the nation.
“It’s every field office, not just major cities. It’s small ones as well,” Wray said.
The FBI is also “watching warily” activities at dozens of Confucius Institutes, Chinese government-sponsored academies that are often embedded within universities and public schools to offer US students Mandarin language classes.
Some 350,000 Chinese students are enrolled at US universities, about 35 per cent of the more than 1 million foreigners attending university in the country, the Institute of International Education estimates.