The Chinese Communist Party is operating an "extensive" espionage network at Stanford University, according to a new shocking report from the school's independent newspaper.

The Stanford Review released the startling findings of a months-long investigation into Chinese spying at the research university. The paper's conclusions were drawn from dozens of interviews with Stanford faculty members, students, and experts in technology and Chinese intelligence between July 2024 and April 2025.

'They use carrots and sticks. If you turn over information, you may get a reward; if you don't, there is a punishment.'

The extent of China's espionage has remained vastly underreported at Stanford due to "transnational repression, $64 million in Chinese funding, and allegations of racial profiling," the article noted.

The majority of those interviewed requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation from both the CCP and the university community, the Stanford Review stated.

The student journalists' inspiration behind the investigation stemmed from this "culture of silence and fear."

"It is this pervasive silence that has compelled us to write. After interviewing multiple anonymous Stanford faculty, students, and China experts, we can confirm that the CCP is orchestrating a widespread intelligence-gathering campaign at Stanford. In short, 'there are Chinese spies at Stanford,'" the paper read.

They concluded that China specifically targets Stanford because of its dominance in artificial intelligence, noting that China has declared its plan to surpass the U.S. in frontier technologies.

The former U.S. National Security Council's Director for China, Matthew Turpin, explained the CCP's influence at Stanford during a China Town Hall, the Stanford Review reported.

"The Chinese state incentivizes students to violate conflicts of commitment and interest, ensuring they bring back technology otherwise restricted by export controls," Turpin stated.

China reportedly uses "non-traditional collection" methods, leveraging civilians outside the intelligence community to access sensitive information, such as details regarding innovations. An anonymous faculty member told the newspaper that these methods are used "extensively" to gain knowledge about AI and robotics at Stanford.

The investigation uncovered an instance where a Chinese national, who was likely a Chinese Ministry of State Security agent, falsely posed as a university student for years. He used his fake identity to target peers, including a student whom the newspaper described as "conducting sensitive research on China."

Chinese students are required under China's 2017 National Intelligence Law to share information with the CCP.

‘Stanford takes its commitment to national security with the utmost seriousness, and we are acutely aware of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party to all research universities.’

"Many Chinese [nationals] have handlers; they [CCP] want to know everything that's going on at Stanford. This is a very normal thing. They just relay the information they have," a Chinese national told the Stanford Review.

A China expert explained to the newspaper that Chinese nationals respond to this intelligence-sharing mandate in one of three ways: providing as little information as possible, complying to maintain CCP-funded scholarships, or fully cooperating opportunistically to maximize data collection.

Approximately 15% of Chinese nationals attending U.S. schools receive scholarships from the Chinese Scholarship Council, which requires students to regularly submit "Situation Reports" to diplomatic missions, experts told the newspaper.

Furthermore, Chinese students are reportedly selected for CSC grants based on party loyalty tests and must sign loyalty pledges. Family members could face financial penalties for students who fail to comply, the Stanford Review reported.

Turpin told the newspaper, "The Chinese government spends a lot of time collecting data on its overseas students; it has a pretty good understanding of who is doing what and if someone is working in an area of interest [frontier technology]. If students have access to things the government would like access to, it is relatively easy to reach out to an individual. They use carrots and sticks. If you turn over information, you may get a reward; if you don't, there is a punishment."

The newspaper stated that Chinese students "are victims of their own government."

University insiders told the Stanford Review that most espionage cases are never publicly revealed.

"Drawing on anonymous testimony from faculty, students, and China specialists, our investigation confirms that the CCP runs an extensive intelligence‑gathering network at Stanford," the article read. "The existential question is straightforward: How should we respond? First and foremost, the status quo of branding those who discuss this issue as racist must end. We wrote this article not to advance a policy position but to highlight a silenced reality. Sound policy depends on evidence, not repression."

The Stanford Review wrote in a post on X, "This article was written to present firsthand accounts of an issue that has been silenced due to widespread accusations of academic repression."

Blaze News reached out to the Stanford Review for comment.

Stanford University did not respond to Blaze News' inquiries about the alleged culture of fear on campus or the measures it takes to prevent espionage and protect Chinese students from CCP pressure to share information.

Instead, the university referred Blaze News to its previously released Wednesday statement:

Stanford takes its commitment to national security with the utmost seriousness, and we are acutely aware of the threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party to all research universities. Stanford has rigorous policies and processes in place to ensure that research by its faculty and students is conducted in a manner that safeguards America's interests. Stanford does not conduct classified or secret research. Stanford has a university-wide process for reporting threats to research security, and carefully assesses all reports. Stanford consults with federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to ensure our policies and procedures are rigorous and protect national security. We are looking into the reports in the Stanford Review article, and have reached out to federal law enforcement to consult on appropriate actions. It is also very important to distinguish between threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party, and Chinese and Chinese-American faculty and students who are at Stanford to learn and contribute to the generation of knowledge, and are valued members of our community.

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