The Chinese government has demanded protections for its students in the US after a congressional committee asked six universities to hand over information about Chinese students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and math (Stem) programmes.

Carnegie Mellon University, Purdue University, Stanford University, the University of Illinois, the University of Maryland, and the University of Southern California on Thursday were sent letters by the chair of the US House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, who alleges that Beijing is embedding its students in top research programmes “to illegally gain access to critical research and advanced technology”.

Committee chair John Moolenaar stated in his letter that the United States was at “a dangerous crossroads where the pursuit of short-term financial gains by academic institutions jeopardizes long-term global technological leadership and national security”.