Harvard Faces Backlash for Training Chinese Officials Linked to Uyghur Abuses

Harvard University is under scrutiny for training members of China’s Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), a paramilitary group sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 over alleged human rights abuses against Uyghurs, NewsBytes reported.

The Washington Free Beacon revealed that Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health collaborated with Beijing’s National Health Security Administration in 2019, with XPCC officials attending the program. Despite removing references to XPCC participation after media inquiries, Harvard allegedly hosted the group again in 2023 and 2024.

The XPCC, accused by the U.S. of overseeing mass surveillance, forced labor, and internment camps in Xinjiang, operates as a hybrid military-economic entity with its own judiciary and media. Advocacy groups, including Campaign for Uyghurs, condemned Harvard for “legitimizing a genocidal system.” China defends the XPCC as vital for “national stability,” denying all abuse allegations.

The controversy highlights ongoing tensions over U.S. institutions engaging with entities tied to China’s Xinjiang policies.