The trip is sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation.
A student organization at Columbia University is promoting a foreign exchange trip to China sponsored by an organization believed to be a Chinese Communist Party front group.
The Greater China Initiative, a student organization tied to Columbia’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute, is promoting a January 2026 China trip sponsored by the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), an organization which members of Congress have identified as being part of China’s United Front Work operation, Representative John Moolenaar warned in a letter obtained by National Review.
“In the interest of protecting students and the integrity of Columbia University’s programs, I urge you to immediately terminate any ties that the university or its student groups have with CUSEF and commit to a rigorous review of student groups’ foreign funding and partnerships going forward,” wrote Moolenaar, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.
Moolenaar’s letter was sent earlier this week and is addressed to acting Columbia President Claire Shipman. He notes that Columbia international relations students are prospective recruits for the trip and are told “CUSEF will cover transportation, board, and lodging expenses” for the duration of the trip.
The letter cited a February 2021 confirmation hearing for former CIA director William Burns in asserting that CUSEF is linked to the CCP’s United Front Work operation. The China committee released a memo in 2023 explaining that the United Front combines influence and intelligence to advance the CCP’s agenda in foreign countries and access sensitive technology.
The founder and chairman emeritus of CUSEF, Tung Chee-hwa, was vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, a major United Front group, from 2005 to 2023. Moolenaar’s letter also cites Foreign Agent Registration Act filings from multiple firms representing CUSEF due to its ties to the CCP.
“At a minimum, such a vetting process should exclude accepting funding and partnerships with organizations like CUSEF that exist to promote the CCP’s narratives and interests—which have proven antithetical to academic freedom and free exchange of ideas—and to help the CCP identify foreigners who the party could exploit,” Moolenaar added.
NR has reached out to Columbia for comment.
Chinese Communist Party affiliates have tried to target Columbia students in the past. Last year, the party’s youth league attempted to recruit Columbia students for a trip promoting China’s green energy sector, as NR previously reported.
U.S. educational institutions and students are a prime target for China’s influence operations. China’s large number of international students and lavish gifts and donations have allowed the CCP to exert its influence on college campuses, with a particular focus on elite schools.