Ma Huateng, the founder of Tencent and one of China’s wealthiest individuals, is drawing renewed scrutiny for his involvement with Yale University following the Pentagon’s designation of Tencent as a “Chinese military company”. Ma has served on the advisory board of the Yale Center Beijing since 2015 and has donated millions to Yale and other Ivy League institutions.
The Pentagon’s blacklist highlights Tencent’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party and its role in advancing China’s military and artificial intelligence ambitions. Tencent, which owns the widely used app WeChat, has faced longstanding criticism for aiding the Chinese government in censorship and surveillance. Ma, a member of the CCP, has been accused by critics like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) of using Tencent to promote espionage on behalf of the Chinese government.
The designation as a Chinese military company could have far-reaching consequences for Tencent and its U.S. investments. Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, described Tencent as a “national security risk hiding in plain sight.” Singleton pointed to Tencent’s ties to Chinese intelligence and its investments in sensitive U.S. technology as significant concerns for national security.
#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
Tencent’s links to Ivy League schools, particularly Yale, have also raised alarms. Yale has used its Beijing center to strengthen partnerships in China, hosting events featuring Tencent executives and Chinese government officials to discuss AI policy. Ma himself has attended multiple Yale-hosted events, leveraging these opportunities to expand Tencent’s influence and AI 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
Yale’s ties to Ma come at a time when the university has faced criticism for its foreign funding sources. The school was recently scrutinized for failing to disclose $15 million in funding from Qatar, which has connections to Hamas.
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
The backlash against Tencent has also affected other universities. Ma previously served on the Cornell China Center’s board and has donated millions to institutions like Princeton, MIT, and Columbia through his Ma Huateng Foundation. Critics warn that these relationships give Tencent undue influence in shaping academic and policy discussions in the United States.
