The University of Michigan has announced it will end its two decades-long partnership with Shanghai Jiao Tong University after pressure from a House GOP lawmaker.

Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., in October sent a warning letter to the university about the partnership from the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. His letter said five students who came to Michigan through the partnership had recently been charged with lying to investigators after being found trespassing at the military base Camp Grayling.

“Given these concerning developments, I strongly encourage you to shutter the partnership between U-M and Shanghai Jiao Tong and take the necessary steps to safeguard the integrity of federally funded research at U-M and carefully vet international students studying on U-M’s campus,” Moolenaar wrote.

The University of Michigan acknowledged that letter in announcing its decision to shutter the program.

“International academic partnerships have deeply enriched our academic offerings and strengthened the global education of our students, and we will continue to pursue partnerships around the world as part of our academic mission,” Michigan President Santa Ono said. “As we do so, we must also prioritize our commitment to national security.”

The university added, however, it remains committed to offering international experiences to students and will continue to recruit students from across the world.

“International experiences are vital for our students in this interconnected world,” Ono said. “We remain committed to supporting U-M’s international students and will continue to foster international partnerships that advance knowledge and cross-cultural understanding and ensure our campus remains a vibrant community where scholars from around the world can thrive.”

Moolenaar in a statement celebrated the move and urged other colleges to follow the same path.

“My committee has put a spotlight on the fact that too many American universities are collaborating with CCP researchers on critical technologies including weapons, artificial intelligence, and nuclear physics,” he said. “American universities should end these types of joint institutes and protect the security of our nation’s research.”

Georgia Tech made a similar decision in September when it parted from its collaboration with Tianjin University after House GOP warnings. The U.S. Department of Commerce in 2020 had placed the Chinese university on its Entity List, a government blacklist, for allegedly stealing American military technology.

The partnership with the university was “no longer tenable” given its status on the Entity List, Georgia Tech said in a statement.

“Given Georgia Tech’s extensive role in national security, it immediately began conducting a thorough review of all its activities and partnerships in China,” the school wrote. “Georgia Tech decided not to launch a planned Ph.D. program and capped the number of GTSI students at 10% of the original intent.”

Follow Jackson Walker on X at @_jlwalker_ for the latest trending national news. Have a news tip? Send it to jacwalker@sbgtv.com.