Ma Huateng, founder of the Chinese tech giant Tencent, has come under scrutiny after the Pentagon classified his company as a “Chinese military company.” Ma, who serves on Yale University’s advisory board for its Beijing center, has also donated millions to the university and other Ivy League schools.
The Pentagon’s designation highlights Tencent’s links to the Chinese Communist Party and its role in advancing China’s artificial intelligence and military programs. Tencent, the parent company of WeChat, has faced allegations of aiding Beijing in censorship and surveillance. Critics have labeled the company a threat to U.S. national security.
Ma, known as “Pony Ma,” has used his role at Yale to promote partnerships between the university and Chinese organizations. The Yale Center Beijing has hosted events featuring Tencent executives and Chinese government officials to discuss artificial intelligence development. These activities are now raising questions about the university’s ties to a company accused of enabling Chinese military objectives.
#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
Yale is not the only Ivy League institution connected to Ma. Through his Ma Huateng Foundation, he has donated millions to Princeton, MIT, and Columbia University, among others. Critics argue these financial ties could give Tencent undue influence over academic research and policy discussions in the United States.
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
Craig Singleton, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, described Tencent as a “national security risk hiding in plain sight.” He warned that Tencent’s investments in sensitive U.S. technologies amplify concerns about the company’s potential to compromise critical industries.
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 Pentagon’s designation marks a significant escalation in U.S. efforts to counter Chinese influence, placing greater scrutiny on institutions like Yale that maintain ties to Tencent and its founder. As pressure mounts, Yale and other universities may face questions about their foreign funding and partnerships with entities linked to the Chinese government.
