Texans were shocked when they learned of the foreign espionage scandal at Texas A&M. But now we have learned that the corruption at College Station was not a one-off event. A University of Texas researcher has been charged with espionage, attempting to steal sensitive, federally funded cancer research and smuggle it to China.
The case exposes shocking vulnerabilities in Texas academia, much like the scandal at Texas A&M University, where Professor Zhengdong Cheng was unmasked as a Chinese collaborator, funneling NASA-funded research to Beijing’s benefit. This time, however, it was Li—working on cancer research at MD Anderson under a U.S. scholar visa, who was charged last week in Harris County.
Li faces a third-degree felony for stealing National Institutes of Health- and Department of Defense-funded cancer research, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Despite confidentiality agreements, he allegedly downloaded 90 gigabytes of unpublished data to a Chinese cloud server. Investigators revealed ties to Chinese institutions, including funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and employment at Chongqing Medical University. Li was arrested at Houston’s airport with devices containing the stolen research. Li admitted taking the files, claiming he had a “right” to them.
His actions fit a disturbing pattern that we have known for some time. Our adversaries are hunting in the same place again and again. China isn’t after just any research, it has been deliberately targeting our most advanced, lifesaving medical breakthroughs. Control of cancer research means control of markets. The U.S. already relies on China for basic pharmaceuticals. If China also dominates advanced treatments like cancer cures, it would be safe to assume that America could become dangerously dependent on a hostile power for lifesaving medicine.
Why should we care about this?
At first glance, this may sound like a problem reserved for universities or government agencies. But it’s not. Every Texan should care because foreign espionage in our schools and research centers strikes at the very heart of our national security.
America’s enemies know they can do lasting damage by influencing our education system. Over the past decade, billions of dollars have flowed into Texas schools from foreign sources, including $432 million from nations hostile to the United States. Countries like China, Russia, and Qatar aren’t donating out of goodwill—they are buying influence and gaining access to sensitive research that belongs to Texans and Americans.
This is not just about stolen research. Foreign money opens the door to propaganda and subtle shifts in curriculum that shape how Texas students think about America and its adversaries. For example, some Texas public schools used Qatari-funded curriculum that erases Israel on a map. By selling ideas that diminish patriotism or soften perceptions of hostile powers, these bad actors gain power that influences the next generation of leaders.
Our current federal laws do little to protect us. Universities are only required to report foreign gifts above $250,000. Smaller donations go unnoticed, especially when funneled through intermediaries. Investigations have already shown that Texas schools underreported $2.2 billion in foreign gifts. Texans are being left in the dark about who really has a hand in shaping our schools.
What is the solution?
To its credit, the 2025 Texas Legislature recognized this problem and took a first step by creating a Research Security Council. This council is tasked with identifying best practices for securing research at top-tier research institutions. However, simply identifying best practices is not enough. Recommendations on paper are not strong enough to stop our adversaries from exploiting our universities (this is what James Madison referred to as “parchment barriers”). Texas must set the standard itself by defining what those best practices are. At a minimum, that means:
- Setting an outright prohibition on universities and school districts from accepting funds from hostile nations (China, Russia, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar).
- Requiring that all universities and school districts report all foreign gifts, down to the last dollar amount.
- Enforcing penalties for non-compliant universities.
These measures would set a national standard.
If Texas does not strengthen its laws, we can expect more scandals like those at Texas A&M and UT—more espionage, more infiltration, and more threats to our national security. Is this what Texans voted for?
