{"id":2611900,"date":"2026-06-08T08:48:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-university-of-california-became-a-stooge-for-chinas-anti-america-warfare\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T08:51:41","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T12:51:41","slug":"how-the-university-of-california-became-a-stooge-for-chinas-anti-america-warfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-the-university-of-california-became-a-stooge-for-chinas-anti-america-warfare\/","title":{"rendered":"How UC Became A Stooge For China&#8217;s Anti-America Warfare"},"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%2Fhow-the-university-of-california-became-a-stooge-for-chinas-anti-america-warfare%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=2611900&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>A National Association of Scholars report argues that the Chinese communist Party has used partnerships with the University of California system-especially with Tsinghua University-to shape California\u2019s climate and energy policies in ways that advance China\u2019s strategic interests while harming U.S. economic independence, energy stability, and national security.<\/p>\n<p>The report focuses on collaboration that began with state and university memorandums of understanding-such as California\u2019s carbon-reduction and EV initiatives and UC-Tsinghua research efforts that the authors say were intended to influence policy beyond California. It claims that Tsinghua poses security risks due to close ties to Chinese party and military structures, including work described as related to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/two-years-after-oct-7-israel-continues-to-battle-its-enemies-near-and-far\/\" title=\"Two years after Oct. 7, Israel continues to battle its enemies near and far\">advanced defense technologies<\/a> and alleged involvement in cyberattacks.<\/p>\n<p>It further argues California\u2019s Democratic leadership minimized these concerns. The California-China Climate Institute (CCCI), created after meetings between Chinese and California officials, is portrayed as giving Beijing access not only to research, but also to key California policymakers and regulators, and the institute is said to have been strengthened through state legislation that embedded it within UC and elevated California\u2019s role in international climate coordination.<\/p>\n<p>beyond governance and security issues, the report claims that California\u2019s climate-driven energy policy choices-such as strict regulation, cap-and-trade, refinery closures, and aggressive zero-emissions vehicle mandates-have contributed to high energy costs, increased dependence on imported fuels, and greater reliance on Chinese EV supply chains. It also warns that Chinese software- and connectivity-linked technologies could pose cybersecurity and control risks, citing efforts by the federal government to restrict certain Chinese vehicle imports.<\/p>\n<p>The report urges reforms including stronger controls on foreign influence in universities and research, enforcement tools like FARA, oversight of subnational agreements, and a renewed focus on U.S. energy independence, arguing that continued political complacency is preventing meaningful action.  <\/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<div>\n<p>A recent report exposes the concerning ways in which the Chinese Communist Party has leveraged the University of California system to shape California\u2019s climate and energy policies \u2014 prioritizing China\u2019s strategic interests while undermining American economic independence, energy stability, and national security.<\/p>\n<p>Titled \u201cBehind the Climate Curtain: China\u2019s Hidden Role in California\u2019s Energy Mandates and University Partnerships,\u201d this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nas.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Behind_the_Climate_Curtain.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">report<\/a> by Ian Oxnevad, senior fellow at the National Association of Scholars (NAS), examines how California\u2019s aggressive climate agenda, facilitated through partnerships between the University of California (UC) and China\u2019s Tsinghua University, has benefited Beijing\u2019s economic and military ambitions at the expense of the U.S. interests.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s cooperation with China on climate issues dates back more than two decades. It was formalized in 2013 when then-Gov. Jerry Brown, longtime practitioner of <a href=\"https:\/\/2021-2025.state.gov\/bureaus-offices\/under-secretary-for-economic-growth-energy-and-the-environment\/the-special-representative-for-subnational-diplomacy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">subnational diplomacy<\/a> with China, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lexology.com\/library\/detail.aspx?g=54824d50-ed9a-41c7-b256-5ffbc0660508\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed<\/a> a memorandum of understanding committing the state to joint efforts on carbon reduction, electric vehicle (EV) adoption, and green technology development. In 2015, the University of California system and Tsinghua University (often called \u201cChina\u2019s MIT\u201d) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.energy.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/pi_iec\/098b7ef9800d9039.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed their own memo of understanding<\/a> to expand collaboration on energy and climate change, explicitly aiming to influence policy not just in California but across the United States.<\/p>\n<p>However, Tsinghua University, from which Xi Jinping graduated, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hamadeh-youd-be-a-fool-to-come-into-u-s-legally-under-biden\/\" title=\"Hamadeh: Entering U.S. Legally Under Biden? Foolish.\">poses significant national security risks<\/a>. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspi.org.au\/report\/china-defence-universities-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rates<\/a> it as high to very high risk due to its deep ties with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the People\u2019s Liberation Army (PLA), and <a href=\"https:\/\/cset.georgetown.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/CSET-Pulling-Back-the-Curtain-on-Chinas-Military-Civil-Fusion.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">military-civil fusion<\/a> initiatives. The <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >university hosts advanced defense laboratories engaged<\/a> in projects relating to military artificial intelligence, air-to-air missiles, and rocket technology. It has also worked alongside China\u2019s nuclear weapons program and has been implicated in cyberattacks targeting U.S. entities and Tibetan communities, according to the NAS report.<\/p>\n<h2>Leadership Ignores Risks<\/h2>\n<p>Despite these red flags, California\u2019s Democratic leadership either ignored or downplayed the risks. In 2019, following Brown\u2019s meeting with Xi in Beijing, UC and Tsinghua University established <a href=\"https:\/\/www.law.berkeley.edu\/research\/clee\/research\/climate\/ccci\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the California-China Climate Institute (CCCI)<\/a>, housed at UC Berkeley Law School. The institute promotes joint research, policy coordination, conferences, and aggressive \u201czero emissions\u201d goals. Its leadership includes prominent CCP-linked figures such as Xie Zhenhua, alongside prominent California policymakers and regulators such as Brown and longtime chair of the California Air Resources Board Mary Nichols.<\/p>\n<p>Under Gov. Gavin Newsom, the partnership deepened. In 2021, the Democrat-led legislature passed <a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB39\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Assembly Bill 39<\/a>, which Newsom signed into law, giving the CCCI statutory backing and embedding it within the UC system. The bill effectively formalized subnational diplomacy with China, elevating California to the status of an independent actor in international climate negotiations and bypassing federal oversight. In 2023, Newsom <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2023\/10\/25\/governor-newsom-meets-with-chinese-president-xi-jinping\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">met<\/a> personally with Xi, further signaling California\u2019s alignment with Beijing on climate policy.<\/p>\n<h2>Constitutional and Security Concerns<\/h2>\n<p>The NAS report identifies several serious problems with this arrangement. These MOUs function as de facto treaties between a U.S. state and a strategic adversary, raising constitutional concerns about federal supremacy in foreign affairs. More alarmingly, the CCCI provides CCP officials and intelligence agents access to not only cutting-edge research but also influential Californian politicians and regulators.<\/p>\n<p>California\u2019s self-imposed energy crisis is dire. Currently, the state imports a staggering <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/commentary\/2025\/09\/california-self-created-oil-gas-crisis\/#:~:text=Why%2520\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">64 percent<\/a> of the oil it needs from abroad, while consistently boasting the <a href=\"https:\/\/gasprices.aaa.com\/state-gas-price-averages\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">highest<\/a> gas prices in the nation. This crisis can be traced back to policies that the CCCI helped promote, such as strict environmental regulations, cap-and-trade programs, and the closure of refineries. These policies have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ppic.org\/blog\/rising-gas-prices-may-strain-family-finances-in-california\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">fueled<\/a> higher living costs, pushing businesses to relocate, causing job losses, and leading to record levels of outmigration.<\/p>\n<p>California has doubled down on its <a href=\"https:\/\/ww2.arb.ca.gov\/news\/california-moves-accelerate-100-new-zero-emission-vehicle-sales-2035\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Advanced Clean Cars II mandate<\/a>, requiring 100 percent of new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. This push heightens our dependency on Chinese-made EVs and associated supply chains that China dominates, such as EV batteries, rare earth minerals, software, sensors, and connectivity modules. The <a href=\"https:\/\/carnegieendowment.org\/russia-eurasia\/research\/2025\/01\/managing-the-risks-of-chinas-access-to-us-data-and-control-of-software-and-connected-technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">risks<\/a> associated with Chinese-made EVs are alarming: they raise serious national security concerns regarding data collection, potential remote sabotage, and cybersecurity vulnerabilities. These issues are significant enough that the Trump administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2026\/05\/13\/trump-xi-summit-chinese-electric-vehicles-00917652\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">effectively blocked<\/a> direct Chinese-made EV imports through high tariffs and bans on connected vehicles.<\/p>\n<p>It would be na\u00efve to believe the CCP\u2019s strategy stops at California\u2019s borders. There is saying, \u201cAs California goes, so goes the nation.\u201d Beijing clearly hopes California\u2019s climate and energy policies will serve as a blueprint for the rest of the country.<\/p>\n<p>American universities have unfortunately become some of the weakest links in the U.S.-China strategic competition. The CCP has effectively leveraged the open nature of these institutions to enhance its influence through <a href=\"https:\/\/stanfordreview.org\/investigation-stanford-receives-chinese-state-linked-donations-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">financial funding<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/moderndiplomacy.eu\/2026\/01\/31\/reverse-brain-drain-how-china-is-recruiting-the-worlds-talents\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recruit top-tier scientists<\/a> to propel China\u2019s modernization, <a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/international\/world-news\/students-or-spies-how-china-infiltrated-us-universities\/articleshow\/121492092.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">steal sensitive technologies that often have military implications<\/a>, spread party propaganda, and shape public opinion through state-funded institutions such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.heritage.org\/homeland-security\/commentary\/confucius-institutes-chinas-trojan-horse\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Confucius Institutes<\/a>. The NAS report shows this pattern continues, and now with direct consequences for American energy prices, supply chain security, and national sovereignty.<\/p>\n<h2>Recognizing the Problem<\/h2>\n<p>The report urges policymakers, university leaders, and the public to recognize the CCCI and similar partnerships for what they truly are: not benign academic exchanges, but strategic tools of economic warfare employed by an adversary.<\/p>\n<p>America cannot afford to allow its universities and its largest state to serve as conduits for China\u2019s dominance in critical technologies and supply chains. If California\u2019s model spreads nationwide under the banner of \u201cclimate leadership,\u201d the United States risks sacrificing its energy security, economic sovereignty, and autonomy in exchange for superficial green rhetoric, all while strengthening its foremost competitor.<\/p>\n<p>Yet meaningful reform faces a major obstacle: the persistent complacency of California\u2019s Democratic leaders. By consistently placing climate ideology above economic realities and national security imperatives, they have enabled the CCP\u2019s influence operations to take root. As long as these state officials refuse to acknowledge the dangers documented in the report, the NAS recommendations, such as stronger enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), closing research loopholes, federal investigations into subnational agreements, and prioritizing American energy independence, are unlikely to be implemented in California.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<div>\n<p>      Helen Raleigh, CFA, is an American entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She&#8217;s a senior contributor at The Federalist. Her writings appear in other national media, including The Wall Street Journal and Fox News.  Helen is the author of several books, including &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Confucius-Never-Said-Helen-Raleigh\/dp\/1499185278\/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&#038;keywords=Helen+Raleigh+Confucius+Never+Said&#038;qid=1606079469&#038;sr=8-1\">Confucius Never Said<\/a>&#8221; and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Backlash-How-Chinas-Aggression-Backfired\/dp\/1736008501\/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&#038;qid=1606006113&#038;sr=8-1\">Backlash: How Communist China&#8217;s Aggression Has Backfired<\/a>.&#8221; Her latest book is &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Not-Outsiders-Americans-political-activism\/dp\/1736008552\">Not Outsiders: Asian Americans\u2019 political activism from the 19th century to today<\/a>.\u201d Follow her on Twitter: @HRaleighspeaks.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Report warns CCP uses UC partnerships to shape climate policy,<br \/>\nsidelining U.S. security and energy stability<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":536,"featured_media":2611901,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15163041049_3a4dc928e7_k-e1780683413767.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[4501,32404,4488,39505,32405],"class_list":["post-2611900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-china","tag-geopolitics","tag-propaganda","tag-uc-berkeley","tag-united-states"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/15163041049_3a4dc928e7_k-e1780683413767.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611900","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\/536"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611900"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611900\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611904,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611900\/revisions\/2611904"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611901"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611900"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611900"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611900"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}