A public university in Missouri operated an executive education program for more than two decades that trained over 1,500 Chinese executives, government officials, and state-owned enterprise managers, including individuals connected to China's defense sector, according to a report by the geopolitical research firm Strategy Risks.
The report, titled "Heartland for Hire," alleges that Missouri State University's (MSU) MBA and Executive MBA programs served as a pipeline for personnel tied to China's military-industrial complex, beginning in 2001. Graduates reportedly included executives from Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), a state-owned aerospace and defense conglomerate designated by the U.S. Department of Defense as a Chinese military company.
According to the report's authors, the program existed in a gap within current U.S. oversight frameworks for academic ties with China. Attention has largely focused on STEM research, free speech issues, and defense-relevant doctoral programs, leaving cadre training programs less scrutinized. The report argues that China's state apparatus leveraged an American public university, its accreditation, and potentially taxpayer dollars to enhance the capabilities of individuals involved in China's defense industrial base.
Missouri State University, in a statement, denied that taxpayer dollars funded the program and stated that students complied with all U.S. visa regulations. The university noted that the report acknowledged the curriculum was conventional business education with no evidence of espionage, intellectual property theft, or misconduct. Students were admitted in compliance with U.S. State Department visa regulations.
The report further alleges that recruitment and selection of participants were largely conducted by Chinese government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and Chinese Communist Party (CCP)-linked organizations, rather than through the university's standard admissions process. Chinese government documents reportedly described the partnership as a "China-U.S. state-to-state cooperation project."
Evidence cited in the report includes Chinese recruiting materials suggesting portions of the program's costs were covered by U.S. government or Missouri state subsidies, potentially totaling tens of millions of dollars. However, the report acknowledges that no public U.S. records confirm these payments, and the total amount could not be independently verified.
The findings come amid growing concerns about foreign influence in U.S. higher education and potential national security risks. Previous reports have highlighted partnerships between top U.S. universities and Chinese AI labs tied to surveillance efforts, as well as U.S. universities educating thousands of Chinese nationals with ties to the People's Liberation Army.
Lawmakers have proposed legislation aimed at limiting Chinese influence in academia, including measures to prohibit federal funding for university intelligence-related programs with ties to CCP-linked organizations. The issue has also been a point of discussion for former President Donald Trump, who has stated he is not in favor of banning Chinese students from studying in the U.S., believing it would strain relations.