#287 Civic Leadership Forum; Endorse Stanford Letter; Qian Xuesen; MSP Lecture; Election; +

In This Issue #287

·       Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley: The U.S. vs. China: A Talent War

·       Additional Endorsers and Letters Invited to Oppose Revival of China Initiative

·       McCarthyism and Qian Xuesen 钱学森

·       "Threats to Academic Freedom and International Engagement: China and Beyond"

·       APIAVote: Election Information in Your State

·       News and Activities for the Communities

Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley: The U.S. vs. China: A Talent War

On October 11, 2024, Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley: The U.S. vs. China: A Talent War was held at Ding Ding TV studios.  Over 300 people watched the livestream of the event, which covered three topics:

·       Understanding the implications of losing top talent to China.

·       Discovering how trade wars and talent loss affect the middle class.

·       Exploring strategies for fostering collaboration and retaining talent.

The expert panel included:

·       Scott Rozelle: A leading scholar in Chinese economics, Rozelle has recently participated in Track Two diplomacy initiatives between the U.S. and China.

·       Peter Michelson: A renowned physicist at Stanford University, Michelson has expressed concerns about the impact of the DoJ’s China Initiative on reverse brain drain.

·       Peter Zeidenberg: A successful lawyer who has defended Americans wrongly accused of espionage-related crimes, including Kansas University Professor Franklin Tao.

·       Joel Wong: A dedicated advocate for the Asian American Pacific Islander community and a prominent figure in U.S.-China relations.

Professor Feng “Franklin” Tao, and his wife Hong attended the event and spoke about their ordeal.  Former Congressman Mike Honda led off the Q&A session.  Dr. Ken Fong, sponsor of the event, gave closing remarks.

Additional Endorsers and Letters Invited to Oppose Revival of China Initiative

On October 9, 2024, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that more than 165 Stanford faculty members signed a letter to congressional leaders to “strongly oppose” legislative efforts to reinstate the China Initiative. The U.S. House has passed a measure to bring back the Trump-era initiative, which was ended in February 2022. Lawmakers also included language directing the U.S. Department of Justice to restart the probe in a government-spending bill. Both proposals require Senate approval.Gisela Kusakawa, executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum, said it was important for professors and researchers to voice their concerns because they see firsthand the importance of international collaboration — and the chilling effect of the initial federal inquiry.  She encourages faculty members at other colleges to also weigh in vy endorsing the Stanford letter or write their own letters. “By speaking out, these scholars can help shape policies that safeguard the academic landscape for future generations,” she said,Steven A. Kivelson, a professor of physics who spearheaded the drafting of the Stanford letter with Professor Peter Michelson, said he has worked with “brilliant” graduate students, postdocs, visiting scholars, and longtime research partners from China. “The China Initiative was significantly harmful to such collaborations, without having any clear positive implications for national-security issues,” he wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “There are few policy matters that seem so clear-cut to me as that the China Initiative should not be revived.”Read the Chronicle report: https://bit.ly/3U6ZD8J.  Read the Stanford faculty letter: https://bit.ly/4dCVC2P.  Endorse the Stanford faculty letter: https://bit.ly/4eXkWBw. 

The 1990 Institute has joined the White House, CAPAC, a coalition of community organizations, Committee of 100, and National Asian Pacific American Bar Association in issuing a statement condemning the attempt to revive the China Initiative: https://bit.ly/3U8bLpT.On October 13, 2024, Forbes Breaking News posted a video recording of a hearing by the House Oversight Committee on September 24, 2024, in which Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) slammed the premise of the hearing and questioned witnesses about discrimination against the Chinese community.  Watch the video: https://bit.ly/4029aSa (5:23) On October 12, 2024, Fair Observer reported that escalating political tensions between the U.S. and China are hindering scientific collaboration and making it harder for the U.S. to attract and retain talented Chinese scholars, according to a new study co-authored by Wharton professor Britta Glennon. Both countries are increasingly focused on self-sufficiency in science, diverging from long-standing international collaboration trends. This shift towards nationalism, Glennon argues, may have unintended consequences for innovation. The study, titled "Building a Wall around Science," was published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.  Read the Fair Observer report: https://bit.ly/4dKyAa7.

McCarthyism and Qian Xuesen 钱学森

In China, Qian Xuesen 钱学森 is hailed as a national hero—an aerospace engineer who took China into space. Here in America, Qian’s story is a lesson about how McCarthyism and American insecurity made America less secure. Qian Xuesen left the Republic of China in 1935 to study aerospace engineering at MIT, and he later became a professor at CalTech and co-founded NASA’s famous Jet Propulsion Laboratory. He was a welcome guest in the U.S. for more than ten years. In fact, shortly after World War II, the U.S. Government thanked him for his contribution to the war effort, including his service on the U.S. government’s Scientific Advisory Board as an Air Force lieutenant colonel. At the height of McCarthyism in 1950, the FBI accused Qian of being a communist and a threat to national security. He felt betrayed and humiliated, and after trying unsuccessfully to clear his name. The Department of Justice placed him under house arrest and forbade him from leaving for five years from 1950-1955 until the United States finally decided to deport him. Rather than helping the United States land on the moon, the country forced Qian out, and he helped build China’s space program. Still, there is no evidence that Qian ever spied for China or was an intelligence agent when he was in America, and government officials later described his deportation as “the stupidest thing this country ever did.” 

Qian’s life is recognized as globally pivotal in both Chinese and American history. The BBC wrote: “Qian's life spanned almost a century. In that time China grew from an economic minnow to a superpower on Earth and in space. Qian was part of that transformation. But his story could have been a great American one too - where talent, wherever it is found, could thrive.” Sources: 2020/10/26 BBC: Qian Xuesen: The man the US deported - who then helped China into spaceNational Museum of Nuclear Sciences and History: Qian XuesenWikipedia: Qian XuesenAlex Liang, second year student at Harvard Law School, contributed this report.

"Threats to Academic Freedom and International Engagement: China and Beyond"

On November 12, 2024, Massachusetts Society of Professors (MSP) at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, will host a lecture on "Threats to International Engagement and Academic Freedom," starting at 4:00 pm ET.  The featured speaker is Dr. Yangyang Cheng, Particle Physicist and Research Scholar at Yale Law School's Paul Tsai China Center.Across the country, faculty and students are facing impediments to international engagement, and sometimes at significant personal risk, arising from increasingly strict federal regulations. International faculty and students are especially vulnerable, as are Chinese Americans and others with ties to countries experiencing strained US relations.At UMass Amherst, there are strong unions with the power to enforce robust contracts.  The MSP event and the conversations it generates will help mobilize the UMass community to win and sustain the strongest possible protections for research and professional lives.The event will be held at UMass Amherst Lederle Graduate Research Center A112.  It will also be streamlined by Zoom at https://umass-amherst.zoom.us/j/96950189589.  For more information, visit: https://bit.ly/3Yn2lcH

APIAVote: Election Information in Your State

November 5, 2024, is Election Day.  Voters will elect the next President and Vice President of the United States.  All 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives will be up for election, and 34 seats in the U.S. Senate will be contested.  There will also be state and local elections, as well as ballot initiatives or referendums.Every state has different rules for its elections.  APIAVote (Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 that promotes civic participation and voter engagement in Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. It focuses on increasing voter registration, turnout, and advocacy to ensure AAPI voices are represented in the U.S. political process.APIAVote has developed an online map to provide state-by-state election dates, including registration and mail-in deadlines, as well as early voting.  It also provides translated mailers to over 1 million AAPI households and online in order to inform them on how, where and when to vote, in their preferred language. To find out specific information about your state, visit: https://bit.ly/4f2qKtB

According to NPR on October 14, 2024, in an election race this close, Asian American voters have become a force.  The Asian and Pacific Islander Political Alliance (APIPA) is working to mobilize AAPI voters in Pennsylvania ahead of the 2024 election, canvassing daily to support Vice President Kamala Harris and other endorsed candidates. AAPI voters, though a small part of the electorate in this critical swing state, have grown significantly, with their numbers increasing by 55% between 2010 and 2020. The group's efforts reflect the growing importance of the AAPI population in political engagement, particularly in tight races where their votes could be decisive.Outreach to AAPI communities has been a challenge for both major parties, partly due to the cost and labor involved in translating voting materials. However, candidates like Harris have focused on targeted advertising and voter engagement in Asian American media, emphasizing her own immigrant background. While the Donald Trump campaign has done less specific outreach, they have attempted to tap into nostalgia for the economy during Trump's presidency. AAPI voters, once engaged, tend to remain politically active, and their support could prove crucial in several swing states.In other states, like Nevada, North Carolina, and Georgia, AAPI voters are also seen as a key demographic, with advocacy groups working to build long-term political engagement. Democratic organizers have noticed a surge in South Asian volunteers and increased outreach from both parties. However, some within the AAPI community still feel politically marginalized, a challenge advocacy groups are working to address by increasing voter outreach and representation in campaigns.Read the NPR report: https://n.pr/3BTAnfO

News and Activities for the Communities

1. APA Justice Community Calendar

Upcoming Events:2024/10/16 Rebuilding Trust in Science2024/10/20 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/10/22 Engage with AAAS: 2024 U.S. Elections2024/10/25-27 Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the American Studies Network2024/10/26 Common Ground and Banquet2024/10/27 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/10 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/11/12 Threats to International Engagement and Academic Freedom2024/11/14 Asian American Career Ceiling InitiativesVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details.

2. Committee of 100: Asian American Career Ceiling Initiative

WHAT: Asian American Career Ceiling Initiative: “An Advice and Networking Event (Financial Services, Investing and Consulting)"WHEN: November 14, 2024, 6:00 pm - 7:15 pm ETWHERE: WebcastHOST: Committee of 100 Moderator: Peter Young, Chair, Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings InitiativeDESCRIPTION: This virtual event, the 37th in a series, will enable Asian Americans of all ages to get valuable career advice from experienced and successful Asian Americans in the Financial Services, Investing and Consulting professions. Committee of 100 expects to hold this event for a different clusters of professions in the future.  REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3A1RUC3

3. APA Justice Newsletter Web Page Moved to New Website

As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletter webpage to https://www.apajusticetaskforce.org/newsletters.  Content of the existing website will remain, but it will no longer be updated. We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org.