Xidian University is designated very high risk for its high level of defence research and close relationship with China’s defence industry and military.
Xidian Univeristy is among China’s top universities for research on antennas, radar, electronic countermeasures and computer science.https://web.archive.org/web/20190531021937/http://see.xidian.edu.cn/html/news/9942.html ; https://web.archive.org/web/20190531013152/https://www.xidian.edu.cn/xxgk/xxjj.htm The university is subordinate to the Ministry of Education and is also jointly supervised by defence industry agency SASTIND and defence electronics conglomerate CETC. It claims it has ‘made important contributions to military modernisation’.
The university is closely tied to China’s defense industry and the PLA. It runs at least five defence laboratories and partners with the PLA’s signals intelligence organization. Xidian appears to be an important training ground for Chinese military hackers.https://sinosphere.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/06/university-in-xian-opens-school-of-cyberengineering/?mtrref=www.google.com&gwh=CE1505CFDC9B80EE219C5B67014B6C76&gwt=pay According to Xidian’s party secretary, the university has had an ‘unbreakable bond with secret intelligence work since its beginning’. https://web.archive.org/web/20190531024544/https://news.xidian.edu.cn/info/1002/34263.htm It also holds secret-level security credentials that allow it to work on classified weapons projects.http://archive.fo/kTSsS
Major defence laboratories
- National Lab of Radar Signal Processing (雷达信号处理国家重点实验室/雷达信号处理国防科技重点实验室)https://web.archive.org/web/20190531010536/https://rsp.xidian.edu.cn/index.html
- National Key Laboratory of Antennas and Microwave Technology (天线与微波技术国防科技重点实验室/天线与微波技术重点实验室)https://web.archive.org/web/20181004114557/https://amt.xidian.edu.cn/html/profile/introduction/
- Jointly established with CETC’s 14th Research Institute (中国电子科技集团公司第十四研究所), an organisation placed on the US BIS Entity List in 2018.https://www.bis.doc.gov/index.php/documents/federal-register-notices-1/2250-83-fr-37423-entity-list-final-rule-8-1-18/file
- National Key Discipline Laboratory of Wide Band-gap Semiconductor (宽带隙半导体技术国防重点学科实验室)https://web.archive.org/web/20180512171100/http://kdx.xidian.edu.cn/ ; https://web.archive.org/web/20190531022859/https://www.xidian.edu.cn/info/1064/2317.htm ; https://web.archive.org/web/20190531023153/https://news.xidian.edu.cn/info/1002/33638.htm
- Key Laboratory of Electronic Information Countermeasure and Simulation Technology, Ministry of Education (电子信息攻防对抗与仿真技术教育部重点实验室/电子信息攻防对抗与仿真技术”教育部重点实验室(B类))https://web.archive.org/web/20190531014005/https://www.ixian.cn/thread-1563243-1-1.html ; https://web.archive.org/web/20181120201829/https://ecs.xidian.edu.cn/index.html ; https://web.archive.org/web/20190531020000/http://yqgx.xatrm.com/testOrg/view.action?id=E96F27A6D297B987E040007F01005D4B
- Key Laboratory of High-Speed Circuit Design and EMC [Electro-magnetic Compatability], Ministry of Education (超高速电路设计与电磁兼容教育部重点实验/超高速电路设计与电磁兼容教育部国防科技重点实验室)https://web.archive.org/web/20190531014005/https://www.ixian.cn/thread-1563243-1-1.html ; https://web.archive.org/web/20190531020706/https://cdemc.xidian.edu.cn/index.html ; https://web.archive.org/web/20190821003946/http://see.xidian.edu.cn/html/page/199.html
Designated defence research areas
- Computer science and technologyhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190809064348/https://zsb.xidian.edu.cn/html/xyjs/jsjxy/2019/0409/1194.html
- Cyber securityhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190809064433/http://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlnews/2017/9/388409.shtm
- Electronic componentshttp://sme.xidian.edu.cn/html/yjspy/xksz/
- Communication engineering
- Radio wave propagation and antennas
- Electromagnetic fields and microwave technologyhttps://news.xidian.edu.cn/info/1002/30444.htm
- Electronic packaging technologyhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190809065424/https://www.xidian.edu.cn/bxzy1/xkzy/bkzysz.htm
- Information and signal processing
- Information countermeasures
- Pattern recognition and intelligent systems
- Mechatronic engineeringhttps://web.archive.org/web/20190809065914/https://xxgk.xidian.edu.cn/info/1241/10048.htm
Defence and security links
In 2011, Xidian University and CETC jointly established the Collaborative Innovation Center of Information Sensing and Understanding (信息感知技术协同创新中心).https://web.archive.org/web/20190531021304/https://www.guancha.cn/TMT/2015_01_22_307180.shtml?web?web The centre’s partners include the former PLA General Staff Department’s Third Department (responsible for signals intelligence, now part of the Strategic Support Force Network Systems Department), other PLA units and research institutes, and state-owned defence conglomerates.https://web.archive.org/web/20190531021509/http://leixieyuan.xidian.edu.cn/gywm/gsgk.htm
Noteworthy international collaborations
Xidian University’s Mobile Internet Security Talent Recruitment Base, also known as the National 111 Project for Mobile Security, has recruited around 20 foreign experts.https://mis.xidian.edu.cn/html/team/overseas/2017/0306/5.html The lab is directed by PLA Navy major general, Shen Changxiang (沈昌祥).https://web.archive.org/web/20190531023910/https://mis.xidian.edu.cn/html/abstract/bodyset/ ; https://web.archive.org/web/20170922013231/http://www.weihai.gov.cn/art/2016/11/10/art_16616_785996.html
Last updated 25 November 2019. Unclear about any wording? Visit the terminology page.