Seven Sons of National Defence

Group of universities in China

Simplified Chinese

国防七子

Traditional Chinese

國防七子

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Guó Fáng Qī Zǐ

The Seven Sons of National Defence (Chinese: 国防七子) is a grouping of the public universities affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China.^[1]^[2] They are widely believed to have close scientific research partnerships and projects with the People’s Liberation Army.^[3]^[4]

Universities

The universities of the Seven Sons of National Defence include:^[5]

Beihang University in Haidian, Beijing
Beijing Institute of Technology in Haidian, Beijing
Harbin Engineering University in Harbin, Heilongjiang
Harbin Institute of Technology in Harbin, Heilongjiang
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in Nanjing, Jiangsu
Nanjing University of Science and Technology in Nanjing, Jiangsu
Northwestern Polytechnical University in Xi'an, Shaanxi

Views

Three quarters of university graduates recruited by defense related state-owned enterprises in China come from the Seven Sons.^[6] The Seven Sons devote at least half of their research budgets to military products.^[7]

According to the Hoover Institution, the Seven Sons "operate as prime pathways for harvesting US research and diverting it to military applications."^[8]

In 2020, the United States government banned students from the Seven Sons schools to study in graduate programs in the United States.^[5]

References

^ "兰州市科技局兰州科技动态兰州市科技局召开与"国防七子"开展院地校企合作座谈会". Lanzhou Municipal Bureau of Science and Technology – Lanzhou Municipal People's Government. Archived from the original on 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
^ "两电一邮、五院四系、国防七子…这些行业高校大佬，你知道几所？". Sohu News. Archived from the original on 2023-02-06. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
^ Xiu, Ma; Singer, Peter W. "How China Steals US Tech to Catch Up in Underwater Warfare". www.defenseone.com. Defense One. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
^ Fedasiuk, Ryan; Weinstein, Emily (2021-01-29). "Universities and the Chinese Defense Technology Workforce" (PDF). Center for Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-12-11. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
^ ^a ^b Cong, Forest. "US Ban on Chinese Students With Military Links Divides Experts on Impact". www.voanews.com. www.voanews.com. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.
^ Fedasiuk, Ryan; Weinstein, Emily. "Universities and the Chinese Defense Technology Workforce" (PDF). georgetown.edu. Georgetown. Archived (PDF) from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^ de Bruijn, Annebelle. "How TU Delft unintentionally helps the Chinese army". www.delta.tudelft.nl. TU Delft. Archived from the original on 15 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
^ Stoff, Jeffrey; Tiffert, Glenn. "Under the Radar: National Security Risk in US-China Scientific Collaboration" (PDF). www.hoover.org. Hoover Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 15 June 2021.

People's Liberation Army

General

History
Modernization
Budget
Equipment
Decorations
Generals
Weapons of mass destruction
Information operations and information warfare

Branches

Ground	Structure Equipment Infantry [zh] Armored forces [zh] Artillery [zh] Air defense [zh] Aviation aircraft Engineers [zh] Chemical defense [zh] Special operations units
Navy	Organization Weaponry History Branches: Surface ships aircraft carriers Submarine Coastal Defense Naval Air aircraft Marine Corps special operations units Fleets: North Sea East Sea South Sea
Air	Aviation aircraft airbases Air Defense Airborne Corps special operations units
Rocket	Missile operation units Rocket Force corps of engineers [zh] Special operations units

Arms

Aerospace	Astronaut Corps astronauts Deep Space Network
Cyberspace	Cyberspace Force Network Systems Department [zh]
Information	Information Support Force
Joint Logistics Support	Wuhan Joint Logistics Support Base

Structure

Central Military Commission	Chairman Vice-Chairmen General Office Joint Staff Intelligence Bureau Guard Bureau Guard Unit Political Work Logistic Support Equipment Development Manned Space Agency Training and Administration National Defense Mobilization Discipline Inspection Strategic Planning Reform and Organizational Structure International Military Cooperation Audit Office Offices Administration
Theater Commands	Eastern Southern Hong Kong Macau Western Tibet Northern Central
Military regions (defunct)	Shenyang Beijing Lanzhou Jinan Nanjing Guangzhou Chengdu