Five American colleges have undisclosed ties to a leading Chinese military research university sanctioned by the United States, according to a recent Washington Free Beacon report. One defense expert says that the U.S. must sever such ties and partnerships to protect American national security. The report showed an internet archive record of a partnership between China’s top military engineering school Beihang University and five American universities. Beihang, also known as Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, is one of China’s seven major defense research universities. In 2001, the U.S. Department of Commerce slapped sanctions on Beihang due to its link to the military and involvement in rocket systems and missile development. Partnering with such a university puts U.S. national security in danger, said Tzu-Yun Su, director of the National Defense and Resources Department of the Institute for National Defense and Security Research of Taiwan, in an Aug. 4 interview with …