The Pentagon’s designation of Tencent as a “Chinese military company” is raising concerns about Yale University’s ties to the tech giant’s founder, Ma Huateng. Ma has served on the advisory board of Yale’s Beijing center since 2015 and has donated millions to Ivy League schools through his charitable foundation.
The Pentagon’s move underscores Tencent’s role in advancing China’s military and artificial intelligence goals, casting a shadow over its U.S. partnerships.
#FirstpostAmerica: The Pentagon has named Chinese social media and gaming tech giant Tencent as a company that works with the Chinese military. Tencent is best known for making the do-it-all app WeChat and the gaming app PUBG. @EKH2016 tells you more pic.twitter.com/PE5ajl61no
— Firstpost (@firstpost) January 7, 2025
The US Department of Defense has classified Tencent, owners of Riot and investors in several other game studios, as a Chinese Military company. https://t.co/gcCpfNvR2H pic.twitter.com/Qd4ADGI2yo
— IGN (@IGN) January 7, 2025
Ma’s involvement with Yale includes fostering collaborations between the university and Chinese entities. Events at the Yale Center Beijing have featured Tencent executives and Chinese officials discussing technology policy, raising concerns about the university’s proximity to CCP-linked initiatives.
Problem is all these Chinese companies are heavily tied in with the CCP. Tencent's founder served on the Peoples' Congress, and has made anti-free speech statements. So you're basically just trading woke communism for old school communism. pic.twitter.com/qBKKKrJgSe
— MMNTech (@mmntech) December 9, 2024
https://twitter.com/FirstSquawk/status/1876289941359251699s
Other Ivy League schools have also benefited from Ma’s philanthropy. Princeton and MIT received $5 million each from the Ma Huateng Foundation, while Columbia University was awarded $900,000. Critics argue these donations could influence how American institutions approach China-related research.
People forget that China doesn't have a military. Instead, the Communist Party has an armed wing, the PLA, which defends the Party. Context to understand why the Pentagon is justified adding Tencent and CATL to its China military (1260H list). https://t.co/fZZCCS8jmT
— Isaac Stone Fish (@isaacstonefish) January 7, 2025
He is very tactful.
"Pony Ma Huateng, the founder and CEO of Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings, published a rare commentary in an official newspaper on Thursday, praising Beijing’s recent economic policies for supporting the private sector."https://t.co/bEVOyZqlwE— Yuzhen (Jennifer) Xie 谢予桢 (@JenniferXie12) December 12, 2024
Craig Singleton of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies warned that Tencent’s ties to Chinese intelligence make it a national security risk. He emphasized that the company’s investments in sensitive U.S. technologies exacerbate concerns about its influence.
As scrutiny of Tencent intensifies, Yale and other institutions may need to address questions about their foreign funding sources and their relationships with individuals linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
