UT won’t take funding from group with Chinese government ties

The University of Texas says it will decline donations for its new China Policy Center from a Hong Kong-based foundation with ties to a Chinese Communist Party branch in charge of promoting propaganda abroad.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that Gregory Fenves, president of UT’s flagship Austin campus, made the decision after an internal review. The story was first reported in the Washington Post’s opinion section.

A letter earlier this month from Republican Sen. Ted Cruz warned the university about accepting money from the China-United States Exchange Foundation, which he called a “pseudo-philanthropic foundation.” Cruz argued that associating with the group could hurt UT’s academic credibility.

Fenves said he made the decision after speaking with faculty experts on U.S.-China relations, as well CIA and FBI officials.