top of page

#239 3/4 Monthly Meeting; China Initiative; Anti-China Academic Panic; US-China STA; More

In This Issue #239

·       2024/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

·       Second Anniversary of Termination of the China Initiative

·       "The Anti-China Academic Panic is Hurting America"

·       US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement

·       News and Activities for the Communities

 

2023/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting

 

The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, March 4, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran, Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna YangQing Derman, Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa, Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), invited and confirmed speakers are:

·       Arati Prabhakar (invited), Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), The White House

·       Cindy Tsai, Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100

·       X. Edward Guo, President, Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE); Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Department Chair, Columbia University

The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎, Vincent Wang 王文奎, and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org.

 

AAU Letter to OSTP Director Arati PrabhakarOn February 14, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the release of two memoranda aimed at supporting a secure and fair research ecosystem in the United States:  

1.      On Policy Regarding Use of Common Disclosure Forms, OSTP outlines guidelines on the use of common disclosure forms for federal agencies to use when evaluating proposals. These will help the government identify conflicts of commitment and potential duplication with the work of foreign governments.

2.     On Guidelines for Federal Research Agencies Regarding Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs, the OSTP guidance provides a definition of foreign talent recruitment programs, guidelines for federal employees regarding foreign talent recruitment programs, and guidelines for individuals involved in malign foreign talent recruitment programs in federal projects.

During the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology hearing on February 15, 2024, a letter from the Association of American Universities (AAU) to OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar was submitted for record.  This is a link to the AAU letter: https://bit.ly/49qi2CV

 

Second Anniversary of Termination of the China Initiative


 

February 23, 2024, marks the second anniversary of the termination of the China Initiative.The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement applauding the anniversary.  Prior to the program’s termination, Members of the CAPAC met with Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials to express concerns about the program, including its use of racial profiling and the resulting harms it caused the Asian American community.  CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu, First Vice-Chair Rep. Grace Meng, Whip Rep. Ted Lieu, and members Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Andy Kim, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and Rep. Linda Sánchez commented on the anniversary.  Read the CAPAC statement: https://bit.ly/49p3DHlIn a separate statement, the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) remarked that the termination of the China Initiative is "a critical step in the right direction to addressing serious concerns of racial profiling and discrimination against Asian American scholars, particularly those of Chinese descent. While a crucial step, we must remain vigilant and work to ensure the ‘China Initiative’ is not reinstated. AASF, along with coalition partners, had been at the forefront of successful advocacy efforts to end the ‘China Initiative’, ensuring that the Asian American scholar community had a seat at the table and lifting their voices. Most recently, AASF led with coalition partners of nearly 50 organizations in opposing a recent proposal to reinstate it in the House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill, H.R.5893."   Gisela Perez Kusakawa, AASF Executive Director, Dr. Yasheng Huang, AASF Founding President, and Dr. Kai Li, AASF Founding Vice President, commented in the statement.  Read the AASF statement: https://bit.ly/49HsHJX

 

"The Anti-China Academic Panic is Hurting America"


In an opinion published by The Hill on February 16, 2024, Princeton University Professor Rory Truex highlights the case of a Chinese Ph.D. student with pseudonym "Meng Fei," who faced detention and deportation upon returning to the U.S. Despite having valid visas and no ties to espionage, Meng and other Chinese students were subjected to suspicion and exclusion under policies like Trump-era Presidential Proclamation 10043. The author argues that such treatment mirrors authoritarian tactics and undermines America's competitiveness in science and technology.The now-defunct "China Initiative" aimed at combating intellectual property theft.  "FBI field offices were instructed to go out and find cases of Chinese espionage on American campuses, and FBI Director Christopher Wray began touting the number of ongoing investigations. But these cases rarely produced evidence of actual espionage, instead centering around fraud, often when U.S.-based researchers failed to properly disclose affiliations with Chinese entities on federal grant forms," Professor Truex opined, "But fraud is not espionage. And after three years of unfettered investigations, the China Initiative only turned up a handful of cases of anyone actually stealing something on a university campus. The narrative that 'Chinese students and scientists are nefarious spies' was a bust." Yet, it perpetuated a harmful narrative of Chinese students and scientists as spies. While the initiative was rolled back due to pushback from the scientific community, there are efforts to revive it in Congress, as well as the enactment of a Florida law restricting collaboration with Chinese institutions.

Professor Truex emphasizes the importance of Chinese students to the U.S. research enterprise, citing their significant contribution to doctoral degrees in science and engineering and their retention in the American workforce.  He concludes by saying, "our national overreaction to the 'threat' of Chinese scientists should be considered one of the most inhumane and counterproductive policies of this new era of U.S.-China strategic competition. Unless we change the narrative and treat Chinese students and scientists with respect, America will simply be pushing them away, harming our own interests and accelerating China’s scientific development."Read Professor Truex's The Hill opinion: https://bit.ly/3SUPzhE

 

US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement


 

On February 27, 2024, after six month extension by the Biden Administration in August, the US-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) is set to expire.  Nature has reported that while both sides would like to renew the agreement, it may once again delayed to settle new terms and conditions requested by both sides.On February 14, 2023, the US-China Perception Monitor conduced an interview with Dr. Denis Simon to discuss the past, the present, and the future of the STA.  Dr. Simon is an American scholar who has studied and shaped the agreement since its initial signing.  He talked about the agreement’s strengths, weaknesses, and impacts since 1979. Serving in roles such as Executive Vice Chancellor of Duke Kunshan University and Director of Penn State’s Program on U.S.-China Technology, Economic and Business Relations, Dr. Simon has both led and lived U.S.-China cooperation initiatives. He explains the possible actions the Biden administration can take and warns of their consequences otherwise.Read the US-China Perception Monitor report: https://bit.ly/49QPsL3

 

News and Activities for the Communities

1.  APA Justice Community Calendar


 

Upcoming Events:2024/02/27-28 President's Advisory Commission on AA and NHPIs Meeting and Solicitation for Oral and Written Comments2024/02/28 WHI: Community Engagement Event2024/02/28 Maryland Ways and Means Committee Hearing on HB 13632024/02/29 CAMDC Deadline for Essay Contest2024/03/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/03/24 Committee of Concerned Scientists Annual Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details.

 

2.  Maryland Ways and Means Committee to Hold Hearing on HB 1363


 

On February 28, 2024, starting at 1 pm ET, the Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland State Assembly will hold a hearing on House Bill (HB) 1363 titled "Education - Public Schools - Asian American History Curriculum Requirement."  According to LegiScan, this is a summary of HB 1363: "Requiring the State Board of Education to develop curriculum content standards for a unit of instruction on Asian American history in public schools in the State; requiring each county board of education to implement the Asian American history curriculum content standards in each public school in the county beginning in the 2025-2026 school year; and requiring each county superintendent of schools to ensure compliance with the Act."  The bill is sponsored by Delegates Kriselda Valderrama and Chao Wu.Maryland residents may testify in person or via zoom, or submit written testimony.  They must register to testify on Monday, February 26 between 8:00am and 6:00pm on the My MGA page.  These are two helpful videos to help with the process:

·       How to Create and Use My MGA Account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9jimPsqTVo (3:02)

·       How To: Submit Testimony to the Maryland General Assembly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkqPS89F9X0 (3:13)

Read more about Maryland's HB 1363: https://bit.ly/3OVa0tz.  Learn more about the Maryland General Assembly: https://bit.ly/3TbWOTV

 

3. C100: Asian American Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast News

 

WHAT:  Asian American Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast NewsWHEN: March 25, 2024, 5:00 - 6:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE: WebinarHOST:  Committee of 100MODERATOR: Peter Young, Chair of the Initiative and C100 MemberSPEAKER: Richard Lui, Journalist and News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News; C100 MemberDESCRIPTION:  This is the thirty-fourth Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative webcast that will feature a fireside chat on the topic of “Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast News” featuring Richard Lui, Journalist and News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News.REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3OXs7PP

February 26, 2024

  • Facebook
  • X
  • YouTube
bottom of page