FBI questioning US students who attended Chinese master’s program: report

The FBI is reportedly questioning American graduates of an elite school in China to determine whether they were contacted by Chinese intelligence agents during their time abroad.

NPR reported that at least five graduates of the prestigious Yenching Academy of Peking University, one of the country’s top schools, have been approached by FBI agents in recent months and questioned about their time abroad.

{mosads}”It became clear to me, maybe three-quarters of the way through, that they were actually most interested in China,” one graduate of the program told NPR of his interview with the FBI.

“I literally told them the Princeton fellowship office” recommended he apply, said Brian Kim, a Princeton University graduate. “There was a moment of levity where we’re just both treating this experience like, are we doing this right now?”

He added that the prospect of being the subject of an FBI investigation was unnerving, even for a student focused on foreign affairs.

“Just the idea that somewhere in D.C., there is a file on me and that somebody thought I was a threat to the national security system is a very disturbing thought,” the graduate said.

An FBI spokesperson told NPR that “past investigations have identified Chinese universities as locations where such targeting [of U.S. citizens abroad] sometimes occurs.”

“Foreign intelligence services have increasingly chosen to target and recruit academics, researchers, and others to conduct activities on behalf of foreign governments. Past investigations have identified Chinese universities as locations where such targeting sometimes occurs,” according to the official.

“These investigations have shown that foreign governments and intelligence services often seek to identify and develop relationships with U.S. students, scholars, and researchers who can help them gain access to information and persons that fulfill the foreign government’s international intelligence agenda.”

A spokesperson for Yenching Academy told the news outlet that the school is “deeply concerned about the possible effects of unwarranted official scrutiny on the morale and career development of our alumni, and we strongly request that the U.S. government cease any intrusive or unjustified investigations of our Yenching scholars.”

The investigation comes during a period of heightened U.S.-China tensions as Washington and Beijing continue to engage in an escalating trade war. The U.S. also has accused major Chinese tech companies such as Huawei of working with Chinese intelligence agencies.