'There are Chinese spies at Stanford': Shocking report unmasks CCP's espionage at American universities
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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Muslim student who put 9/11 memorial flags into trash bags rails against 'Islamophobia' while defending his 'Flag Relocation'
A Muslim student who removed nearly 3,000 miniature U.S. flags from a 9/11 memorial at Washington University in St. Louis — and was caught on video carrying them away in trash bags — railed against "Islamophobia" as he defended his "Flag Relocation."
What are the details?
Fadel Alkilani, who's vice president of finance for the Student Union, was seen by another student, Nathaniel Hope, removing the flags Saturday morning — the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks — and Hope began recording video showing Alkilani holding multiple plastic bags containing the flags, the college's newspaper reported.
WOW: A student senator at @WUSTL was caught on video throwing away 2,977 American flags from conservative students'… https://t.co/0UtCGpiNK3
— YAF (@yaf) 1631390127.0
Alkilani defended his actions in a formal statement Saturday night, which called it a "Flag Relocation Incident" in the title.
"Muslims such as I have faced fear, harassment, and Islamophobia from those who unjustly use the victims of 9/11 as a political cudgel," he wrote. "Those who died during 9/11 deserve better than to be used as a political tool by those who seek to excuse American imperialism and Islamophobia."
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @yaf
He added:
Since 9/11, Islamophobic hate crimes have been higher than they ever were before. The United States invaded countries in the Middle East and Central Asia, and over 900,000 people have been killed because of the wars the United States has propagated. 37 million people have been displaced, with some reports stating that number reaches up to 59 million. Any memorial of 9/11 that does not contend with these facts is not only incomplete, but it also amplifies pro-imperialist sentiment and actively disrespects those who have died because of American Invasion. A memorial which uses U.S. flags is especially insidious, as it does not recognize those who have fallen, but uses a symbol that was on the shoulders of those who are responsible for the deaths of 900,000 people, and uses the innocent lives lost during 9/11 as a political prop upholding American hegemony.
Image source: Twitter video screenshot via @yaf
Alkilani also claimed he did nothing wrong — and was "verbally and physically harassed":
The misinformation that is currently circulating on YAF's page states that I was "stealing" the flags. This is due to a WashU College Republicans member, taking a video of me collecting flags in plastic bags. However, I had no intention of removing the flags from the Mudd Field area, and my full protest did not have the chance to be actualized. My planned protest was to place the bags of flags on Mudd field, along with various statistics (including those below) explaining the human cost of 9/11 in the past 20 years. On the sides of the bags, some writing may be visible, but the full statement was not outlined at the time of the video. I did not deface, destroy, damage, nor steal any flags, nor did I interfere with any registered event time. I assert that I did not violate any University Code of Conduct policy, though the conduct process is undergoing. Additionally, I was verbally and physically harassed by numerous WashU students and WUPD officers, whom I plan to report through official channels.
Anything else?
Students said Alkilani tried to destroy the memorial Friday night, but campus police ordered him to stop, Fox News reported.
The school condemned Alkilani's actions in a statement to the paper: "We were disappointed to learn about the disruption to the 9/11 display on Mudd Field. We condemn the interference with the expression of support by the College Republicans for the victims of the national tragedy that took place 20 years ago today."
Chancellor Andrew Martin said much the same, the school paper reported Sunday: "I want to make it very clear that, as an institution, we find the actions of this student to be reprehensible. The removal of the flags impeded the ability of individuals to commemorate the lives lost on 9/11 and to process the trauma of that day."
While Martin didn't mention Alkilani by name, he did say the school would investigate the incident.
College Republicans president Nick Rodriguez said Alkilani "made a mockery of one of the most somber days in American history" and should be disciplined.
"At minimum, I believe he should be removed from both SU and his [resident advisor] position, as what does it say to be a top American institution, and have yourself represented by a student leader who has no respect for property, campus traditions or the remembrance of thousands of lost lives," Rodriguez said in a statement. "Today is about remembering the tragedy, 20 years ago to the day, not to make a political statement. Any reason he can conjure to remove the flags I find ludicrous."
Junior Reagan Steirn was among those who gathered with a large American flag on Mudd Field Saturday evening, the paper reported — and she was not happy about Alkilani's actions: "I'm livid. With a leadership role, someone doing those actions and showing his disrespect will just allow other students on campus to do the same thing, when in this situation it's just not okay to do that."
The paper also reported that Muslim students are saying they fear for their safety and are concerned about the rise of Islamophobic rhetoric from fellow students and from strangers on social media in the wake of the incident.
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