{"id":2432363,"date":"2025-05-08T11:53:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-08T15:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-invite-microsoft-to-advise-on-china-despite-history\/"},"modified":"2025-05-08T11:54:12","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T15:54:12","slug":"democrats-invite-microsoft-to-advise-on-china-despite-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-invite-microsoft-to-advise-on-china-despite-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats invite Microsoft to advise on China, despite history"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-invite-microsoft-to-advise-on-china-despite-history%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2432363&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>On Thursday,the Senate Commerce Committee invited Microsoft President Brad Smith to advise on how the U.S. can outpace China in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. This invitation comes despite Microsoft\u2019s controversial ties with Chinese military companies and its history of collaborating with entities linked to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), including censorship efforts and AI research partnerships with Chinese military-run institutions. Senate Committee chairman Sen. Ted Cruz emphasized the need for the U.S. to excel in AI as China invests heavily to establish dominance by 2030. Critics raise concerns about Microsoft&#8217;s research in china, notably through Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA), wich has allegedly facilitated the training of talent for Chinese AI firms linked to government repression. Microsoft&#8217;s longstanding relationship with China has raised bipartisan scrutiny regarding <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-got-it-newsmax-reporter-emerald-robinson-national-security-source-confirms-a-piece-of-hardware-has-been-secured-in-germany\/\" title=\"We Got It! ... Newsmax Reporter Emerald Robinson: National Security Source Confirms &quot;A Piece of Hardware Has Been Secured&quot; in Germany\">national security<\/a> and ethical implications, as it continues to conduct research and maintain operations in the region.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Democrats invite Microsoft to advise Congress on CCP AI race despite its pro-China history<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2112331\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>On Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee invited Microsoft President Brad Smith to discuss ways the United States could &ldquo;beat China in the [artificial intelligence] race.&rdquo; Microsoft, however, has a history of partnering with Pentagon-designated &ldquo;Chinese military companies,&rdquo; training talent that eventually filters into pro-Chinese Communist Party enterprises, engaging in censorship on behalf of Beijing, and working with a Chinese military-run university on AI research.<\/p>\n<p>A Senate aide told the <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>that Democrats on the committee were responsible for calling Smith as a witness.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3405210\/tom-homan-named-national-police-defense-foundation-man-of-the-year\/\">Tom Homan named National Police Defense Foundation &#8216;Man of the Year&#8217;<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/3405220\/house-votes-rename-gulf-of-america-trump-executive-order-law\/\">House votes to codify Trump&#8217;s Gulf of America renaming into law<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/3405147\/letitia-james-state-funds-trump-lawsuit-hochul-budget-proposal\/\">Letitia James could use state funds for Trump lawsuit fees under Hochul budget proposal&nbsp;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;As a matter of economic and national security, we have to beat China in the AI race,&rdquo; read an excerpt from Commerce Committee Chairman Sen. Ted Cruz&rsquo;s (R-TX) opening remarks. &ldquo;China has made AI central to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/harris-called-out-after-saying-in-many-ways-were-starting-from-scratch-on-vaccines\/\" title=\"Harris Called Out After Saying, \u2018In Many Ways, We\u2019re Starting From Scratch\u2019 On Vaccines\">national strategy<\/a> and aims to lead the world in AI by 2030, investing heavily in AI adoption across industries like manufacturing and defense.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Cruz is correct that the CCP has made incubating China&rsquo;s AI industry a <a href=\"https:\/\/jamestown.org\/program\/strategic-snapshot-chinas-ai-ambitions\/#:~:text=AI%20is%20a%20strategic%20technology,AI%20innovation%20center%E2%80%9D%20by%202030.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">national priority<\/a>. Microsoft&rsquo;s research activities through Microsoft Research Asia have bolstered China&rsquo;s access to knowledge and software relevant to AI advancement. Notably, Microsoft Remote Assistance has trained thousands of researchers who have gone on to work for major Chinese AI companies, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2019\/04\/09\/136141\/what-you-may-not-understand-about-chinas-ai-scene\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">according <\/a>to <em>MIT Technology Review<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>DeepSeek, one of China&rsquo;s best-known AI companies, has historically <span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">recruited top talent from MSRA to fill its ranks, according to a review of personal websites and social media pages.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.efinancialcareers.com\/news\/liang-wenfeng\" target=\"_blank\">A<\/a>&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/charlescxk.github.io\/\" target=\"_blank\">host<\/a>&nbsp;of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/guoday.github.io\/\" target=\"_blank\">AI&nbsp;<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/zdaxie.github.io\/\" target=\"_blank\">researchers<\/a>&nbsp;boasting elite educations, as well as a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/bo-zhang.me\/\" target=\"_blank\">former project lead<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/authwall?trk=bf&amp;trkInfo=AQFJU1Q--0HJrAAAAZawY_EwKki-qCXoNewdiSPvEydN53yt3dQ6lCoaLRPycIjcap0zhhjdbdS-lHUPNX-uDXldQKRGdz4EvL-oW4x6P7oXDLEvuIzuXY_gCaDw2vUoJN1MOP0=&amp;original_referer=&amp;sessionRedirect=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.linkedin.com%2Fin%2Fyu-wu-5a099475%2F%3ForiginalSubdomain%3Dcn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">current head<\/a> of its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >large language model alignment team<\/a>,<\/span> are all alumni of MSRA now staffing DeepSeek.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>MSRA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.technologyreview.com\/2021\/10\/11\/1036582\/darren-byler-xinjiang-china-uyghur-surveillance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reportedly <\/a>played a key role in the growth and development of <a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2021\/05\/24\/united-states-towns-hikvision-dahua-surveillance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Dahua Technology <\/a>and <a href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy0538\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Megvii<\/a> &mdash; firms that have been linked to the Chinese military and accused of collaborating with the Chinese government in its repression of Uyghurs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>As a result of these efforts, some have taken to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.federaltimes.com\/it-networks\/2022\/11\/01\/us-tech-companies-in-china-may-soon-be-forced-to-choose-a-flag\/?contentQuery=%7B%22includeSections%22%3A%22%2Fhome%22%2C%22excludeSections%22%3A%22%22%2C%22feedSize%22%3A10%2C%22feedOffset%22%3A185%7D&amp;contentFeatureId=f0fmoahPVC2AbfL-2-1-8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">calling<\/a> MSRA the &ldquo;cradle of Chinese AI.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Microsoft logo is displayed outside its French headquarters in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris, May 13, 2024. (AP Photo\/Thibault Camus, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The research center does, however, have safeguards in place to reduce risks.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;MSRA requires full-time employees and internship candidates in China to sign confidentiality and [internet protocol] transfer agreements to prevent any inadvertent IP leaks,&rdquo; a Microsoft spokesperson told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>. &ldquo;Microsoft has established company-wide principles and rules for the development and use of responsible AI, including, among other things, review of sensitive use cases to help ensure that Microsoft&rsquo;s responsible AI principles are upheld in its research, development, and deployment work.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The spokesperson also noted that Microsoft makes MSRA&rsquo;s work publicly available.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft was one of the first Western tech companies to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/aprd\/aboutus\/milestones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">establish <\/a>a foothold in China, opening a branch in 1992 and establishing MSRA in 1998. Since then, the company has <a href=\"https:\/\/news.microsoft.com\/en-my\/2018\/11\/13\/microsofts-innovation-powerhouse-in-asia-is-fueled-by-science-and-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">invested <\/a>over $1 billion in Chinese research and development. The relationship between the company and the authoritarian nation has long been cordial, with Microsoft often bending to Beijing&rsquo;s desires.<\/p>\n<p>For example, Bing, the software giant&rsquo;s search engine, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theregister.com\/2024\/03\/21\/microsoft_bing_china_criticism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">faced<\/a> bipartisan criticism in 2024 following reporting that it was excluding results from searches at the CCP&rsquo;s request. In 2017, Microsoft <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.microsoft.com\/blog\/2017\/05\/23\/announcing-windows-10-china-government-edition-new-surface-pro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">agreed <\/a>to develop a custom version of Windows 10 for the Chinese government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Republican lawmakers have questioned Microsoft&rsquo;s presence in China, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2023\/12\/26\/business\/microsofts-cozy-ai-ties-with-china-raise-eyebrows-on-capitol-hill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">citing <\/a>national security concerns.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Microsoft should know better,&rdquo; Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) told the <em>New York Post <\/em>in December 2023. &ldquo;The Chinese Communist Party wants AI supremacy so that it can degrade and defeat U.S. capabilities, seize Taiwan, and make the world less safe. No American company should be wined and dined into thinking otherwise. And Congress should block partnerships like this.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Indeed, Microsoft has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3309039\/big-tech-trump-ties-chinese-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">partnered <\/a>with many entities linked to the Chinese military.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The company has partnered with multiple firms that appear on the Department of Defense&rsquo;s 1260H entity list, an enumeration of entities that the federal government believes are controlled by, or collaborators with, the Chinese military. China Mobile, Inspur, China Telecom, Quectel, and the China Communications Construction Group are among the Pentagon-designated Chinese military companies with which Microsoft has collaborated.<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Financial Times <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/9378e7ee-5ae6-11e9-9dde-7aedca0a081a\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">reported <\/a>in 2019 that MSRA collaborated on three academic papers with researchers affiliated with China&rsquo;s National University of Defense Technology, an institution run by the People&rsquo;s Liberation Army. One of the papers, according to experts, contained research that applied to China&rsquo;s repression of ethnic minorities.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/in_focus\/3309039\/big-tech-trump-ties-chinese-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>BIG TECH, COZYING UP TO TRUMP, HOLDS ON TO CHINESE MILITARY TIES<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We must ensure that American business interests are not enabling the [CCP&rsquo;s] oppression,&rdquo; Cruz commented at the time. &ldquo;American companies need to understand that doing business in China carries significant and deepening risk.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Microsoft has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techinasia.com\/news\/microsoft-denies-china-exit-rumors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">denied <\/a>rumors that it is seeking to exit the Chinese market and, according to its website, is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/research\/lab\/microsoft-research-asia\/opportunities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">actively hiring<\/a> researchers for MSRA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2112331\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2112331\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats invite Microsoft to discuss AI race with Congress despite its ties to China<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":894,"featured_media":2432364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/3e4742bb2dce49bbfcd6da1af46f5fec-1024x591.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[4501,3685,51522,5894],"class_list":["post-2432363","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-china","tag-democrats","tag-microsoft-2","tag-politics"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/3e4742bb2dce49bbfcd6da1af46f5fec-1024x591.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432363","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/894"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2432363"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432363\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2432367,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2432363\/revisions\/2432367"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2432364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2432363"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2432363"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2432363"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}