Chinese Communist Party-linked companies are purchasing U.S. military academies, congressman warns

Companies linked to the Chinese Communist Party are purchasing U.S. military academies with officer training programs across the country, warns Florida GOP Rep. Michael Waltz.

"It’s incredibly concerning that there are American private schools owned by companies with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party," said Waltz, a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a Green Beret.

He sent a letter Tuesday demanding Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin survey all JROTC programs at private schools to determine whether they are owned by a subsidiary of a foreign company.

"From Florida to New York, there is clear evidence that the ownership of these schools are linked to our greatest adversary and it’s ridiculous that we are developing potential future military leaders through JROTC programs where the CCP could be shaping school curriculum and activities," he said.

New York Military Academy, former President Donald Trump's alma mater, located a few miles north of West Point, has an Army JROTC program and an entire promotional webpage in Chinese.

It was purchased in 2015 by the Chinese-owned nonprofit Research Center on Natural Conservation Inc., which has a Zero-Star rating on CharityNavigator.org and is funded by Fang Holdings Ltd, Waltz also says.

Billionaire Mo Tianquan controls Fang Holdings and has been a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference organized by the Chinese Communist Party.

Florida Preparatory Academy, in Melbourne, Fla., has an Air Force JROTC program and was purchased in 2017 by Newopen USA, a subsidiary of the Chongqing, China-based Newopen Group. The company's chairman Zhou Dengguang has met with the Secretary General of the CCP-sponsored Chinese Entrepreneurs Association, Waltz also said.