Washington, March 13 US lawmakers warned that China may be exploiting American universities to gain access to sensitive research and technology, as a Senate hearing examined billions of dollars in foreign funding and academic partnerships involving US campuses.The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held the hearing to examine what lawmakers called “malign foreign influence” in higher education, with testimony focusing largely on China’s research ties with US universities and the risks of intellectual property theft, technology transfer, and undisclosed foreign funding.Committee chairman Sen. Bill Cassidy said American universities are among the country’s greatest strategic assets but warned that…