![]() ![]() Justice Department officials have repeatedly denied that the China initiative engages in racial profiling, but individuals of Chinese descent, including US citizens, have been disproportionately affected by the initiative. One of the early and most pressing criticisms of China’s initiative was that it might lead to increased racial profiling against individuals of Chinese descent, Asian Americans, and Asian immigrants. Findings of the accused under China’s initiative Nearly 90% of all cases are against people of Chinese descent That’s a sharp contrast to the usual outcomes of federal criminal cases, where the vast majority end up pleading guilty, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of federal statistics. While eight cases are still pending, seven cases against academics have ended in dismissal or acquittal and six have ended in pleas of guilt or conviction. In particular, many issues related to research integrity have collapsed. Of the 95 people still facing charges, 71 are not under active prosecution because the defendant is in an unknown location or cannot be extradited. Nearly two-thirds of the cases – 64% – are still pending. Of the 148 people charged, only 40 have confessed or been convicted, and pleas of guilt often involve fewer charges than were originally filed. Three years after the program began, less than a third of those accused of the China initiative have been convicted. ![]() The cases of China’s initiative are not as successful as the Ministry of Justice claims Instead, the national security implications appear to center around fears that any individuals with ties to China could be “unconventional collectors,” which the China Initiative fact sheet describes as “researchers in laboratories, universities, and the defense industrial base being exploited for technology transfer inconsistent with with the interests of the United States.” But as our database shows, only two of the 22 researchers were accused of trying to improperly access information or smuggle goods into China. Funding agencies were allegedly defrauded of research integrity issues The NIH effort preceded the China initiative, and the representative referred questions regarding the initiative to the Department of Justice. Six of those focused on NIH-funded researchers - a reflection of the institute’s aggressive stance on countering “the undue influence of foreign governments on federally funded research,” a representative from the NIH’s Office of External Research said. Nine of the 23 research cases involve medical and health researchers, including people who study heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer. But most work in these areas is basic research, and many of the disciplines in which the cases have been brought have no clear links to national security. The initiative’s growing focus on research integrity has included many cases of academics working on topics such as artificial intelligence or robotics, which may have national security applications. (At least four cases of trade secret theft also include alleged participation in the talent show.)įederal officials have repeatedly said that participation in talent programs is not illegal - although they have also called them “brain acquisition programs,” in the words of Bill Priestap, former FBI assistant director of counterintelligence, which “encourage the theft of intellectual property from American institutions.”Ĭases uploaded under the China initiative by year Ties to national security are sometimes weak. (One of the research integrity cases in 2020 also included a charge of violating the European Economic Area.)Īt least 14 of these research integrity cases were initiated due to suspicions arising from links to “talent programmes,” where Chinese universities offer financial incentives to academics to conduct research, teach, or return other activities to the sponsoring institution, on a part- or full-time basis. By 2020, 16 of 31 (52%) cases were newly reported. In 2018, none of the cases were related to research integrity. ![]() Our analysis shows a significant shift in focus toward academics beginning in 2019 and continuing through 2020. ![]()
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