Challenges Facing Academics of Chinese Descent and Those Who Collaborate with Scientists in China

Xiaoxing Xi, Temple University

Collaborating with scientists in China was once encouraged by the US government and universities. As tension between the two countries rises rapidly, those who did, especially scientists of Chinese descent, are under heightened scrutiny by the federal government. Law enforcement officials consider collaborating with Chinese colleagues “by definition conveying sensitive information to the Chinese.” In 2015, I became a casualty of this campaign despite being innocent. In 2018, the Department of Justice established the “China Initiative,” which has resulted in numerous prosecutions of university professors for allegedly failing to disclose their ties in China. In this talk, I will discuss the criminal prosecutions of Professor Anming Hu of University of Tennessee, Professor Charles Lieber of Harvard University, and Professor Gang Chen of MIT. Although the DOJ has ended the China Initiative, their policies of targeting Chinese professors, scientists, and students as suspected spies for China and ending scientific exchanges with China continue. The continued prosecution of Professor Franklin Tao of University of Kansas epitomizes the DOJ’s abuse of justice. To meet these challenges, the scientific community needs to convince the American public that these policies are bad for America, and to convince the policy makers that this does not protect America’s research security. Rather, it makes the US less competitive in innovation and less attractive to talents around the world.