#279 Briefing to Oppose China Initiative Bill; AASF Forum with NIH; Xiaoxing Xi Interview+

In This Issue #279

·       CAPAC, Impacted Professors, and Asian American Leaders Oppose China Initiative Legislation

·       AASF Forum with the National Institutes of Health

·       MIT Science Policy Review Interview with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi

·       News and Activities for the Communities

CAPAC, Impacted Professors, and Asian American Leaders Oppose China Initiative Legislation

During the APA Justice monthly meeting on September 9 , 2024, Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC, and Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), reported that a congressional briefing and press conference will be held on Capitol Hill.On Tuesday, September 10, 2024, at 4:00p.m. ET, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28) and Second Vice-Chair Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) will join victims of the discriminatory and now defunct China Initiative and leaders of Asian American advocacy organizations for a press conference ahead of the House floor vote on H.R. 1398 - Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024.WHAT: CAPAC, Victims of China Initiative, and Asian American Leaders Host Press Conference Opposing China InitiativeWHEN: Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 4:00 pm ET – 4:45 pm ETWHO:

·       CAPAC Chair Judy Chu

·       CAPAC Second Vice-Chair Mark Takano

·       Prof Gang Chen

·       Prof Anming Hu

·       Prof Franklin Tao

·       Gisela Perez Kusakawa – AASF

·       Other speakers may join

WHERE: House Triangle, U.S. Capitol, Washington DC

AASF Forum with the National Institutes of Health

On September 19, 2024, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) will host an online forum with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  Speakers will include NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli who will give opening remarks and NIH Principal Deputy Director, Dr. Lawrence Tabak who will give a presentation.This is the first public event after Dr. Bertagnolli issued a statement of support for Asian American, Asian immigrant and Asian research colleagues on August 15.  "NIH greatly values our relationship with Asian researchers and recognizes their extraordinary contributions to advancing science," the statement said.  "We are working with stakeholder groups, universities and academic professional organizations to take actions that repair our relationships with these valued members of the research community."The online event is open to the public.  Register to attend the Zoom meeting: https://bit.ly/3ZgGNzp

MIT Science Policy Review Interview with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi

On August 27, 2024, MIT Science Policy Review published an extensive interview with Dr. Xiaoxing Xi, Chinese American physicist and the Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics at Temple University.Born in China, Dr. Xi moved to the United States in 1989 and has since become a naturalized U.S. citizen. In May of 2015, Dr. Xi was arrested at gunpoint by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for alleged espionage. He was placed on administrative leave and barred from accessing his lab. Four months later, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped all charges against him. Since then, Dr. Xi has launched a campaign against racial profiling in science, testifying before Congress and speaking at universities and conferences.The American Physical Society recognized Dr. Xi’s tireless advocacy by awarding him the Andrei Sakharov Prize in 2020. MIT Science Policy Review spoke with Dr. Xi about the ramifications of being wrongfully accused of espionage, historic parallels in Christopher Nolan’s movie Oppenheimer, the government’s increasing hostility towards Chinese academics, and what patriotism means to him.The interview was organized in three parts:

1. "Advocacy has become part of my research portfolio."  Dr. Xi filed a lawsuit in 2017 challenging his 2015 wrongful arrest, claiming unconstitutional evidence and discriminatory targeting of Chinese American scientists. After an initial dismissal, Dr. Xi won an appeal, allowing the case to proceed to the discovery stage. The process is ongoing without a clear timeline. His research has suffered, shrinking from nine projects to one, due to fear of government scrutiny. Xi now devotes significant time to advocacy, addressing racial profiling of Chinese American scientists. He speaks widely to raise awareness, aiming to impact U.S. policies and protect the scientific community from similar injustices.2. Finding parallels in Oppenheimer.  Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer explores the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, his role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the repercussions of his association with the Communist Party, which nearly destroyed his career. The movie raises broader issues of science policy, such as open scientific exchange versus political compartmentalization.  Dr. Xi found similarities between Oppenheimer’s situation and his own experience of false espionage accusations, particularly regarding political shifts that lead to the prosecution of once-celebrated individuals. Both cases involved the authorities disregarding evidence to serve political motives. While Oppenheimer's case occurred during McCarthyism, today, the fear of China has led to a wave of investigations against Chinese American scientists. Dr. Xi argues that false accusations and racial profiling continue, with both their cases and Oppenheimer's serving as examples of systemic injustices. Despite Oppenheimer sparking discussions on nuclear policy, the issue of false espionage accusations has not received comparable attention, possibly due to the global stakes of nuclear issues overshadowing individual injustices.

3. Science in the crossfire of geopolitical tension.  The China Initiative, launched by DOJ in 2018, aimed to address national security threats from China, focusing on theft of trade secrets and espionage. By 2019, it began targeting academics, accusing them of espionage for routine practices like writing recommendation letters or participating in Chinese grant reviews. Nearly 38% of cases involved failure to disclose ties to Chinese universities. The program was officially ended in 2022 due to criticism of racial profiling and ineffectiveness.  The Initiative negatively impacted academia, discouraging collaboration with Chinese-born scientists. Dr. Xi argues that increasing scientific literacy within agencies like the DOJ or FBI would not resolve the core issue, as the fundamental belief that Chinese scholars are spies drives these prosecutions. The real issue is a flawed theory that considers Chinese academics as "nontraditional collectors" of information for China, leading to unjust charges based on non-disclosure.  Geopolitical tensions, fueled by anti-China sentiment in U.S. politics, make life difficult for Chinese-descended scientists. Laws like the CHIPS and Science Act further restrict collaboration with China. Dr. Xi compares the current situation to the mistreatment of Japanese Americans during WWII and emphasizes the need for highlighting these injustices.Read the MIT Science Policy Review interview: https://bit.ly/3XgtFHN

Additional Reading Materials

1.  Chapter 10 - Asian Americans as “the Perpetual Foreigner” under Scrutiny by Frank H. WuAsian Americans play a prominent role in the state surveillance story, because Asian Americans play an ambiguous role in both international relations and domestic race relations. Although people of Asian descent have been arriving in the Americas since before the Civil War – Asian soldiers fighting on both sides of the internecine conflict – Asian immigrants and their American-born descendants, whatever their formal status and however assimilated, have been portrayed as “sojourners” only temporarily resident in the United States and likely to return to a homeland to which they have remained stealthily loyal. The persistent theme has been that Asians are inassimilable into American society, whether by biology, culture, or their own collective choices. The assumption that it is contradictory to be both Asian and American has been used, explicitly and implicitly, to justify discrimination against Asian Americans.The Cambridge Handbook of Race and Surveillance , pp. 190 - 222DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108241304.010[Opens in a new window]Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023

2.  Chapter 6 - New Red Scare: The China Initiative by Steven Pei, Jeremy Wu, and Alex LiangThe FBI has a long history of surveillance of ethnic Chinese scientists in the United States. McCarthyism, the Economic Espionage Act, and more recently the China Initiative were initiatives adversely impacting Chinese and Chinese Americans living in the U.S. The stereotypes of Asian and Chinese scientists as “disloyal” stem from the perpetual foreigner trope. The key here is that most of them were U.S. citizens. They are as much an American as any other American, yet their “loyalty” is perceived as less  trustworthy. This stereotype has harmful, life-altering consequences.Communicated Stereotypes at Work by Anastacia Kurylo (Editor, Contributor), Yifeng Hu (Editor, Contributor), Wilfredo Alvarez (Contributor), & 29 moreASIN ‏ : B0CSK2PGY3Lexington Books (May 15, 2024)

News and Activities for the Communities

1.  APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:2024/09/10 Congressional Briefing and Press Conference on the “China Initiative” & Asian American Civil Right2024/09/10-12 Chronicle Festival: The Road Ahead to 20352024/09/12 AA4D: Nobel Laureates and Scientists for Democracy 2024/09/15 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/19 1990 Teachers Workshop: Asian American Identity2024/09/19 AASF Public Forum with the National Institutes of Health2024/09/19-20 AANHPI Unity Summit2024/09/22 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/25 C100: State of Chinese American Survey 2024 2024/09/26 White House Initiative AA& NHPI Policy SummitThe Community Calendar has moved.  Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.

2.  WHIAANHPI Announces Innovator Challenge to Combat Hate and Promote Healthy Communities

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Secretary (OS), Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (IEA), in collaboration with the White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI), is creating a rapid response national competition for 501(c)3 community based organizations to identify community-driven efforts to raise greater awareness of hate crimes and address the health consequences, including mental health, of communities burdened by bullying, hate and bias. Desired outcomes include the development of community-driven strategies and application of data-driven tools to combat bullying, hate, and bias to promote healthier communities.The Challenge.gov fund has $325,000 available for up to four (4) awards through this competition. Eligible 501(c)3 organizations may submit a maximum five (5) page proposal through Challenge.gov.Submission Period Opens: Friday, September 6, 2024, 9:00 AM ETSubmission Period Closes: Sunday, September 15, 2024, 11:59 PM ETLearn more and submit your proposal: https://bit.ly/3MDFJy2

3.  San Francisco Interim Fire Chief Sandra Tong

According to multiple media reports, San Francisco Mayor London Breed appointed and swore in Interim Chief Sandra Tong on September 3, 2024, with the Chinatown native becoming the department’s first Chinese American leader as it continues searching for a permanent successor to outgoing Chief Jeanine Nicholson following her retirement last month. The San Francisco Fire Commission said it unanimously supported Tong’s appointment.Tong spent the last five years serving on Nicholson’s command staff, most recently working as the deputy chief of emergency medical services and community paramedicine. She was born and raised in Chinatown and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Sino-Soviet Relations from UC Berkeley, as well as a doctorate in organizational psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology.Tong has 35 years of experience working in emergency-medical services.