Following scrutiny from Congress over its collaboration with organizations allegedly linked to China’s military, Georgia Tech announced on Friday ( Sep 6 ) that it would end its research and educational partnerships in the Chinese cities of Tianjin and Shenzhen.
In a letter to Georgia Tech in May, the House of Representatives ‘ select committee on China requested more information about its study on cutting-edge silicon technology conducted at Tianjin University in China.
In addition to the Chinese school and its members, which are listed on the US Commerce Department’s trade restrictions list for activities that violate US national security, including trade secret fraud and research collaboration to advance China’s defense, were the Chinese class and its members added in 2020.
Since Tianjin University’s inclusion on the institution list, Georgia Tech has been evaluating its standing in China, according to director Abbigail Tumpey, who spoke to Reuters in an message.
Tianjin University has had sufficient time to resolve the issue. To date, Tianjin University remains on the Entity List, making Georgia Tech’s participation with Tianjin University, and subsequently Georgia Tech Shenzhen Institute ( GTSI), no longer tenable”, Tumpey said.
Georgia Tech, a prestigious US executive class and big recipient of money from the defense department, announced in a statement that it would stop teaching at the Shenzhen Institute but that the roughly 300 students enrolled it would have the opportunity to fulfill their degree requirements.
Georgia Tech  announced in January that its Atlanta-based researchers working on the first useful semiconductor in the world made of the graphene graphene. It said this could lead to a “paradigm shift” in technology and yield faster processing.