Newsletter - #259 Forum Today; Translation; 5/6 Meeting Summary; Research Security; Teachers Workshop; + #259 Forum Today; Translation; 5/6 Meeting Summary; Research Security; Teachers Workshop; + In This Issue #259 · Forum Today: A Dialogue Between Communities with The FBI · Translation of Commentary by Carter Center · 2024/05/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary · Workshop on Research Security · Teachers Workshop on "U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy" · News and Activities for the Communities Forum Today: A Dialogue Between Communities with The FBI Today is the day the Baker Institute and the Office of Innovation at Rice University, the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition, and APA Justice will co-host a hybrid forum titled " A Dialogue Between the Academic and Asian American Communities and the FBI ," starting at 4 pm Central Time .The event brings together Jill Murphy , deputy assistant director of counterintelligence at the FBI, and the leadership of the FBI’s Houston field office for a dialogue with members of the academic and Asian American communities. It will examine gaps between national science and technology policy and its implementation. It will also explore the possibility of establishing a regular communication channel between the academic and Asian American communities with FBI field offices. Register to join the forum in person: https://bit.ly/4aFwvuK . Register to join the forum: https://bit.ly/3wjg759 . Translation of Commentary by Carter Center The Commentary by Neal Lane , Steven Pei , and Jeremy Wu on "An Urgent Call for Clear and Fair Law Enforcement Guidelines and Procedures for Research Security" has been translated into simplified Chinese and posted at the US-China Perception Monitor of the Carter Center: https://bit.ly/4ej0agv .The Commentary was originally published by Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; full text is available here . The views expressed therein are those of the individual author(s), and do not necessarily represent the views of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. The Baker Institute has exclusively authorized the Carter Center to translate and publish this article. 2024/05/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Summary The May 6, 2024, APA Justice monthly meeting summary is now available at https://bit.ly/3VswvKd . We thank the following speakers for their remarks and updates: · Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, nisha.ramachandran@mail.house.gov , provided updates from CAPAC · Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Anti-Profiling, Civil Rights & National Security Program, Advancing Justice | AAJC, provided updates from AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), gpkusakawa@aasforum.org , provided updates from AASF · Nabila Mansoor , President, Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition (TMAC), and Kenneth M. Evans , Scholar in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University, reported on "A Forum with the Asian American and Academic Communities and the FBI in Houston." · Rebecca Lynn Spyke Keiser , Chief of Research Security Strategy and Policy, National Science Foundation (NSF), provided updates from NSF, with comments by Tam Dao , Assistant Vice President for Research Security, Office of Innovation at Rice University on a workshop on NSF's Research on Research Security Program on May 23-24, 2024. Read the 2024/05/06 monthly meeting summary: https://bit.ly/3VswvKd . Read past monthly meeting summaries: https://bit.ly/3kxkqxP Workshop on Research Security Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy hosted a two-part workshop to advance the emerging field of research on research security (RoRS). Supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), this event included a virtual session on May 2 and an in-person gathering on May 23-24. The workshop featured experts from public policy, mathematics, physics, computer sciences, engineering and the social sciences, aiming to address issues in research security.Participants from around the globe, including representatives from the EU, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan, collaborated to identify current challenges and develop a future roadmap for NSF’s RoRS program, which was launched in July 2023. This initiative is in response to the CHIPS and Science Act and aims to enhance the study of research security. Tam Dao , the assistant vice president for research security at Rice University and a former FBI agent, tasked attendees with creating testable hypotheses and research methods. Ramamoorthy Ramesh , Rice’s executive vice president for research, emphasized the global nature of research security and the need for international cooperation. Rebecca Keiser , NSF’s chief of research security strategy and policy, highlighted the importance of using data to influence policy and advocated for forming a community of practice to integrate various research fields. Kenny Evans from the Baker Institute expressed hope that the workshop's outcomes would shape future federal research security policies. The workshop titled "Responsible Collaboration through Appropriate Research Security," aimed to foster a balance between securing research and maintaining open international collaborations. Read the Rice News report on the workshop: https://bit.ly/3Xdy146 Teachers Workshop on "U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy" With U.S. elections looming, political campaigns have and continue to portray China in an unfavorable light, undermining decades-long efforts to build constructive bilateral relations, which has local and global implications. This virtual workshop hosted by 1990 Institute will feature expert speakers who will discuss some of the important strategic issues shaping U.S.-China relations, including trade, technology, and Taiwan.In today’s interconnected world, this workshop addresses the needs of the many middle and high school educators who are interested in deepening their understanding of U.S.-China relations, untangling political rhetoric from actual policies, and incorporating this knowledge into their teaching. This workshop will help attendees promote critical thinking, understand policy implications, augment current knowledge of U.S.-China relations, and build media literacy. APA Justice is a co-sponsor of this workshop. WHAT: U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy – Teachers Workshop WHEN: June 20, 2024, 7:00 pm ET WHAT: Online Webinar HOST: 1990 Institute Moderator: Ha-Yu Sebastian Cherng, Vice Dean for Research and Equity, Office of Research and Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging; Associate Professor of International Education, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. Panelists: · Neysun Mahboubi, Director of the Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations, University of Pennsylvania · Susan Thornton, Senior Fellow and Visiting Lecturer in Law, Yale University Law School Paul Tsai China Center; Director of the Forum on Asia-Pacific Security, National Committee on American Foreign Policy; and Non-Resident Fellow, Brookings Institution REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3x4hnt7 News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/06/06 A Dialogue Between Academic/AAPI Communities with The FBI2024/06/20 U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy – Teachers Workshop2024/06/20-22 Social Equity Leadership Conference2024/06/27-30 UCA: 2024 Chinese American ConventionVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. Back View PDF June 6, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Headlined by “How Not to Cure Cancer – The U.S. is purging Chinese scientists in a New Red Scare,” investigative reports emerged on FBI and NIH nationwide activities targeting individuals of Asian descent, especially biomedical researchers in the Houston area. April 19, 2019 Table of Contents Overview MD Anderson Cancer Center Purge of Chinese Cancer Researchers Congressional Probe NIH’s China Initiative Links and References Overview In April 2019, the Houston Chronicle and Science collaborated to produce a series of alarming reports on the targeting of biomedical researchers of Asian descent in the Houston area led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI). The MD Anderson Cancer Center is the first publicly known instance where NIH's inquiries have led an institution to invoke proceedings against researchers who allegedly have violated the rules. On Jun 19, 2019, Bloomberg Business published an investigative report titled “ The U.S. is purging Chinese scientists in a new Red Scare .” It identified the NIH and FBI for targeting ethnic Chinese scientists, including U.S. citizens, searching for a cancer cure. It provided the first account of what happened to Dr. Xifeng Wu 吴息凤. MD Anderson Cancer Center On April 19, 2019, Science reported that NIH inquiries about the foreign ties of specific NIH-funded researchers prompted at least 55 institutions to launch investigations. Five researchers at the MD Anderson Cancer Center, part of the University of Texas system, were the first publicly known instances where NIH’s inquiries led an institution to invoke termination proceedings. Three senior researchers were ousted; one was under investigation; and one did not warrant termination. All were Chinese. MD Anderson had been working with the FBI for several years on undisclosed national security investigations, which included searches of faculty email accounts and in one instance, video surveillance. MD Anderson's actions, as well as the larger NIH and FBI efforts, added to concerns in the Chinese American science community that U.S. officials were targeting researchers for special scrutiny based on their ethnicity. On December 11, 2017, FBI received the cancer center's permission to obtain information from as many as 23 employee email accounts. The revelations fueled complaints that MD Anderson was targeting its Chinese and Chinese American scientists for special scrutiny and removal. Some of the center's critics counted 10 senior MD Anderson researchers or administrators of Chinese descent who had retired, resigned, or been placed on administrative leave in 17 months. Some of these researchers reportedly left of their own accord, but their supporters said that a toxic climate and the perception of racial profiling hastened their departure. Mien-Chie Hung, a researcher born in Taiwan left MD Anderson echoed that view of a brain drain as scientists left under a cloud of suspicion. Hung retired from his position as the cancer center's vice president for basic research to take a job as president of China Medical University in Taichung, Taiwan. He co-authored a letter to Science raising concerns about possible racial profiling at institutions across the country, expressing hope that "increased security measures will not be used to tarnish law-abiding scientists." Some researchers worried the campaign to root out foreign influence at MD Anderson would be counterproductive and prompted some researchers to leave the United States. "These are the top talents that foreign countries have been trying to recruit unsuccessfully," says Steven Pei, an engineering professor in Houston and a former chairman of the board of United Chinese Americans. By November 4, 2019, The New York Times reported 71 institutions, including many of the most prestigious medical schools in the United States, were investigating 180 individual cases involving potential theft of intellectual property. The cases began after the NIH, prompted by information provided by the FBI, sent 18,000 letters in 2018 urging administrators who oversee government grants to be vigilant. Purge of Chinese Cancer Researchers On June 13, 2019, Bloomberg Business published an investigative report titled “ The U.S. is purging Chinese scientists in a new Red Scare. ” It provided a first account of what happened to Dr. Xifeng Wu, an award-winning epidemiologist and naturalized American citizen. She quietly stepped down as director of the Center for Public Health and Translational Genomics at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Wu resigned in January 2019 after facing several months of investigation and was branded as an oncological double agent in an increasingly globalized world of cancer research. Her resignation, and the recent departures of three other top Chinese American scientists from Houston-based MD Anderson, stem from the China Initiative. Behind the investigation that led to Wu’s exit—and other such probes across the country—was the NIH, in coordination with the FBI. According to the Bloomberg Business report, the NIH, the world’s biggest public funder of basic biomedical research, wields immense power over the nation’s health-research community. It allocates about $26 billion a year in federal grants; roughly $6 billion of that goes to cancer research. In June 2019, NIH officials told the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance that the agency had contacted 61 research institutions about suspected diversion of proprietary information by grant recipients and referred 16 cases, mainly involving undisclosed ties to foreign governments, for possible legal action. Ways of working that had long been encouraged by the NIH and many research institutions, particularly MD Anderson, are now quasi-criminalized, with FBI agents reading private emails, stopping Chinese scientists at airports, and visiting people’s homes to ask about their loyalty. Wu had not been charged with stealing anyone’s ideas, but in effect she stood accused of secretly aiding and abetting cancer research in China, an un-American activity in today’s political climate. She had spent 27 of her 56 years at MD Anderson. A month after resigning, she left her husband and two kids in the U.S. and took a job as dean of a school of public health in China. In the early 2000s, MD Anderson forged “sister” relationships with five major cancer centers in China as part of an initiative to promote international collaborations. In 2015, China awarded MD Anderson its top honor for international scientific cooperation, in a ceremony attended by President Xi Jinping. Wu’s work, like a lot of the academic research now in danger of being stifled, is not about developing patentable drugs. The mission is to reduce risk and save lives by discovering the causes of cancer. Prevention is not a product. It is not sellable. Or stealable. “Historians will have to sort out whether Wu’s story and others like it marked a turning point when U.S. research institutions got serious about China’s avarice for American intellectual property, or a dangerous lurch down the path of paranoia and racial profiling. Or both. In any case, recent events in Houston and elsewhere indicate that Chinese people in America, including U.S. citizens, are now targeted for FBI surveillance,” the Bloomberg Business report said. Congressional Probe On February 20, 2020, The Hill reported that Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) sent letters to NIH and FBI demanding documents about the two agencies' investigations into whether Chinese Americans were working as spies on behalf of China. While the two lawmakers acknowledged that there have been some confirmed cases of espionage, they questioned whether the focus on Chinese Americans amounted to racial profiling. In their letter to FBI Director Christopher Wray, Reps. Raskin and Chu pointed to sample cases of Sherry Chen, Professor Xiaoxing Xi and Dr. Wei Su and requested specific information of the FBI investigations and prosecutions involving theft or attempted threat of intellectual property, monitoring of Chinese students and scholars, communications with NIH, college and university security efforts, and counterintelligence training materials, covering the period of January 1, 2014 to the present. In their letter to NIH Director Francis Collins, Reps. Raskin and Chu requested specific information about mass mailings by NIH to 18,000 administrators, cases under NIH investigations and Office of Inspector General referrals, disclosure guidelines, and all communications with the FBI, covering the period of June 1, 2016 to the present. NIH’s China Initiative On March 23, 2023, over a year after the conclusion of the China Initiative, Science published an investigative report titled " Pall of Suspicion ," revealing that the National Institutes of Health's "China initiative" has disrupted hundreds of lives and destroyed numerous academic careers. For decades, Chinese-born U.S. faculty members were applauded for working with colleagues in China, and their universities cited the rich payoff from closer ties to the emerging scientific giant. But those institutions did an about-face after they began to receive emails in late 2018 from NIH. The emails asked some 100 institutions to investigate allegations that one or more of their faculty had violated NIH policies designed to ensure federal funds were being spent properly. Most commonly, NIH claimed a researcher was using part of a grant to do work in China through an undisclosed affiliation with a Chinese institution. Four years later, 103 of those scientists—some 42% of the 246 targeted in the letters, most of them tenured faculty members—had lost their jobs. In contrast to the very public criminal prosecutions of academic scientists under the China Initiative launched in 2018 by then-President Donald Trump to thwart Chinese espionage, NIH’s version has been conducted behind closed doors. Michael Lauer, head of NIH’s extramural research, says that secrecy is necessary to protect the privacy of individual scientists, who are not government employees. Universities consider the NIH-prompted investigations to be a personnel matter, and thus off-limits to queries from reporters. And the targeted scientists have been extremely reticent to talk about their ordeal. Only one of the five scientists whose cases are described in this article has previously gone public with their story. And only one has pushed back successfully, winning a large settlement against her university for terminating her. But a running tally kept by the agency shows the staggering human toll of NIH’s campaign. Besides the dismissals and forced retirements, more than one in five of the 246 scientists targeted were banned from applying for new NIH funding for as long as 4 years—a career-ending setback for most academic researchers. And almost two-thirds were removed from existing NIH grants. NIH’s data also make clear who has been most affected. Some 81% of the scientists cited in the NIH letters identify as Asian, and 91% of the collaborations under scrutiny were with colleagues in China. NIH is by far the largest funder of academic biomedical research in the United States, and some medical centers receive hundreds of millions of dollars annually from the agency. So when senior administrators heard Lauer [Michael Lauer, head of NIH’s extramural research] say a targeted scientist “was not welcome in the NIH ecosystem,” they understood immediately what he meant—and that he was expecting action. “If NIH says there’s a conflict, then there’s a conflict, because NIH is always right,” says David Brenner, who was vice chancellor for health sciences at the University of California, San Diego, in November 2018 when the institution received a letter from Lauer asking it to investigate five medical school faculty members, all born in China. “We were told we have a problem and that it was up to us to fix it.” In a panel discussion hosted by the University of Michigan in March 2024, Professor Ann Chih Lin, asserted that NIH made it clear that if they couldn’t resolve concerns regarding a faculty member and a grant, NIH would not only require universities to repay the grant, but also investigate universities’ entire portfolio of NIH grants. Fearing the loss of grant money, universities often approached the implicated professors and encouraged them to resign voluntarily or retire early. This strategy aimed to avoid a public disciplinary hearing or grievance process, which could bring unwanted attention to the case. Professors involved in such investigations typically refrained from discussing their cases to protect both themselves and the universities, often choosing to depart quietly. Jump to: Overview MD Anderson Cancer Center Purge of Chinese Cancer Researchers Congressional Probe NIH’s China Initiative Headlined by “How Not to Cure Cancer – The U.S. is purging Chinese scientists in a New Red Scare,” investigative reports emerged on FBI and NIH nationwide activities targeting individuals of Asian descent, especially biomedical researchers in the Houston area. Previous Next 3. Media Reports on Purge by NIH and FBI

Newsletter - #15 September 14 Will Be A Very Informative Meeting #15 September 14 Will Be A Very Informative Meeting Back View PDF September 11, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #261 07/01 Monthly Meeting; Media Reports on Forum with FBI; Another NYPD Officer Fired; + #261 07/01 Monthly Meeting; Media Reports on Forum with FBI; Another NYPD Officer Fired; + In This Issue #261 • 2024/07/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting • SCMP: FBI Official Admits Mistakes, Vows to Improve Relations with Asian American Communities • AsAmNews: FBI, Asian American Civic Groups Hold Forum on Building Trust Post-China Initiative • Another NYPD Officer Fired Without Evidence of Guilt • News and Activities for the Communities 2024/07/01 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, July 1, 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), confirmed speakers are: • Neal Lane, Senior Fellow, Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University; Former Director of Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), The White House; Former Director, National Science Foundation • Kei Koizumi, Principal Deputy Director for Science, Society, and Policy, OSTP, The White House • Xiaoxing Xi, Laura H. Carnell Professor of Physics, Temple University, with invited comments by Kai Li, Paul M. Wythes and Marcia R. Wythes Professor in Computer Science, Princeton University; Vice Chair, Asian American Scholar Forum, and Gang Chen, Carl Richard Soderberg Professor of Power Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • Karla Hagan, Senior Program Officer, Staff Director for National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) 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. National Academies Roundtable Capstone Workshop The National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable Capstone Workshop on July 16-17, 2024, will present information the Roundtable has gathered since its inception in 2020 through 13 gatherings in Washington, DC and across the U.S. Dr. Karla Hagan will provide additional details about the workshop during the APA Justice monthly meeting on July 1, 2024. SCMP: FBI Official Admits Mistakes, Vows to Improve Relations with Asian American Communities According to the South China Morning Post on June 11, 2024, in an unusual public admission, a senior FBI official told an audience of Asian Americans that some of the bureau’s past actions have had a “negative impact” on the community but that “certainly was not the intent”. Jill Murphy, deputy assistant director of counter-intelligence at the FBI, took part in an open dialogue between agents of the top US law enforcement agency and the academic and Asian American communities when she spoke at Rice University in Houston on June 6. The event, sponsored by Rice’s Baker Institute and Office of Innovation, Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition, and Asian Pacific American Justice, marked a milestone as it brought together FBI officials, field agents, community leaders, activists and scientists for the first time in person and on a livestream. Amid criticism of the FBI’s role in the now-disbanded China Initiative and its lingering repercussions for individuals of Chinese ethnicity or with ties to China, the FBI is attempting an outreach effort with a clear message: we acknowledge past missteps and seek the community’s assistance in countering the Chinese Communist Party and its government. “We really need to spend time listening to you and your concerns, and we’re not always right, and we can always be better. We need open lines of communication,” said Murphy, who moved to Chinese counter-intelligence in 2010 and later served on the National Security Council. “I’m very cognizant of ensuring that we are opening our investigations on predicated facts or allegations of either things that threaten national security or federal criminal violations,” Murphy said. “It is very unusual that the FBI leadership is willing to attend a Zoom panel discussion that the whole country can watch anonymously,” said APA Justice, adding that the event was “a big step forward.” Gordon Quan, a former city council member in Houston and one of the community leader speakers at the event, said he hoped that Murphy’s “message comes through to the field staff.” “We believe in national security as well. But by the same token, don’t paint all Chinese with the same brush that you know China is a threat. And if you’re Chinese, you’re a possible threat,” Quan said. Neal Lane of the Baker Institute said in an email that there was “no quick fix” to the damage done by the China Initiative, which he said had hurt the careers of scientists and hurt families. “It will take an iterative process and dialogues like this recent one to make progress. Such events should be held all across the country,” said Lane, who participated in the June 6 event. Kelly Choi, a supervisory special agent at the FBI’s Houston field office, urged Asian Americans to collaborate with law enforcement agencies, whether reporting crimes to the FBI or local and state authorities. She recalled how after the US closed the Houston consulate within 72 hours in July 2020, some Asian Americans were not comfortable talking to the agents conducting routine interviews. Douglas Williams, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Houston field office, said the FBI wanted Asian Americans to trust the FBI “when something does happen in this community … that you feel comfortable calling us and that we can investigate it”. Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/4cxC7Zx. Watch a video of the June 6 forum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csqLJo869ZY (1:55:23) left to right: Jill Murphy, Steven Pei, Neal Lane AsAmNews: FBI, Asian American Civic Groups Hold Forum on Building Trust Post-China Initiative On June 13, 2024, AsAmNews reported on a rare two-hour forum with the FBI in hopes of rebuilding trust from alleged discriminatory policies against Asian Americans. “We hope this forum will serve as a first step toward building a regular channel of communications between both of these groups,” said Sergio Lira, Vice President of Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition and a co-host of the forum. “And we hope the panel will provide clarity on the changing landscape of national research security policy, and its implementation.” Kelly Choi, Supervisory Special Agent for FBI Houston’s Field office, said bridging the gap between the Asian American community and the FBI is a major priority of the agency. “I know that some of the actions that have happened in the past have had a negative impact on this community. And that certainly was not the intent,” said Jill Murphy, the FBI’s Deputy Assistant Director for Counterintelligence. “The intent… was purely to stop the transfer of technology that’s incentivized by the government of China, and not to dampen the scientific work and the collaboration that makes the world a better place.” Advocates from the Asian American community and civic groups said they appreciated the agency’s openness to dialogue and feedback. Many stressed that Asian American scholars are still discriminated against even after the formal end of the China Initiative. “The China Initiative devastated the lives of numerous Asian American scholars engaging in everyday academic research and led to a measurable chilling effect on the community,” said Gisella Kusakawa, Executive Director of Asian American Scholar Forum. “We need protection and training to address racial bias, both implicit and explicit, as well as more scientific experts and thought leaders being included in the discussion with FBI, CBP and law enforcement,” she said. “And the last thing is, we need to keep in mind that we cannot have Asian American scholars be collateral damage while we take the time to try to get this right." David Donatti, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU, observes interrogations and deportations reflect how rights are at their “lowest point” on the border. He adds that the lack of clarity on policy from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who controls the border, and how the FBI works with that agency can still create discriminatory situations today. “[Transparency is] not only sitting down at a table and having a dialogue, although it’s very important,” Donatti says. “It’s also having meaningful policies in place that are rigorous and clear, and easy to understand. And these policies should be subject to scrutiny.” FBI agents agreed that opening dialogue was essential for them to better protect the Asian American community. And ultimately, maintaining open lines of communication is critical to helping that process, said Murphy. “This partnership, this relationship is really important to the FBI. We need to strive to continue to learn and listen more,” she said. “To protect this community, we really need to spend time listening to you and your concerns. And we’re not always right. And we can always be better. We need open lines of communication.” Read the AsAmNews report: https://bit.ly/4b3jFGE Another NYPD Officer Fired Without Evidence of Guilt On May 21, 2024, Documented reported a veteran Chinese American police officer of 20 years was fired by the New York Police Department (NYPD) following an FBI spying investigation on February 16. According to the report, investigations by the FBI and the NYPD found that between the end of 2019 to the fall of 2021, Steven Li had helped a Chinese national named Sun Hoi Ying to connect with a person targeted by the Chinese government. Sun was alleged to have been paid by the Chinese government to come to the U.S. to conduct “Operation Fox Hunt,” a program pursued by China’s Ministry of Public Security to repatriate alleged Chinese fugitives, often by bypassing authorities in foreign countries where these people had settled. After he was introduced to Sun by an acquaintance, Li brokered meetings for Sun in New York with a person unnamed in the documents, who was accused of having embezzled money from a Chinese state-owned company before moving to the U.S. in 2001. NYPD’s internal investigation found Li was not guilty of the “foreign agent” related charges. There was no evidence to show that Li was aware that Sun was working for the Chinese government when the meetings took place, nor did it find that he took money from China or threatened the victim. Li was terminated less than a month after Angwang, an ethnic Tibetan NYPD police officer from China who was charged by the federal government under the China Initiative for working for China’s interests. Despite prosecutors dropping all charges against him, the NYPD continued its internal investigation against Angwang. He was fired for failing to show up at an internal interview, which his lawyers had told him was “unlawful” because the NYPD refused to share evidence with them in advance. At least 36 people have been charged for foreign-agent related violations benefiting China since 2020, topping any other country, while the number was five between 2009 to 2020, based on the DOJ’s announcements, an incomplete archive of federal court cases. This means for Chinese American cops, who often participate in community events, the risk of inadvertently stepping into a plot involving China and being accused of acting as a foreign agent is higher than ever. Michael Moy, a former NYPD detective, recommends Chinese American cops to not talk to anyone they don’t know at community banquets, and to not offer advice to any party of a dispute until the case is formally reported to the police. Read the full Documented article: https://bit.ly/44VTG2A. Juan Zhang, editor at US-China Perception Monitor, contributed to this report. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/06/20 U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy – Teachers Workshop 2024/06/21 Trends in Research Funding and Award Recognitions for Asian Scholars in the United States 2024/06/20-22 Social Equity Leadership Conference 2024/06/27-30 UCA: 2024 Chinese American Convention Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. National Academies Roundtable Capstone Workshop WHAT: National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable - Capstone Workshop WHEN: • Day 1: July 16, 2024, 9 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. ET • Day 2: July 17, 2024, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. ET WHERE: Hybrid in-person and virtual event • In-person: National Academy of Sciences Building, 2101 Constitution Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20418 • Virtual: coming soon HOST: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine DESCRIPTION: The National Science, Technology, and Security Roundtable Capstone Event will provide an opportunity to present information the Roundtable has gathered since its inception in 2020 through 13 gatherings in Washington, DC and across the U.S. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3z0PnY7 REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3VirGle 3. C100/TAAF Anti-Asian Hate Tracker for New York City Launched On May 14, 2024, Committee of 100 (C100) and The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) jointly launched a database to report and track incidents of hate and bias against the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) New York City (NYC) community. The AAPI Hate Tracker is a collaborative project created by C100 and TAAF and supported by several NYC AAPI nonprofit partners, as part of the NYC Anti-Hate Collaborative. The database is funded by TAAF and C100, along with federal funding from a grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice. 4. Vincent Chin Legacy Guide On June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin was attacked in Highland Park, Michigan, by two white men who worked in the auto industry and were angry over what they perceived as the loss of American jobs to Japanese imports. He died four days later on June 23, 1982, at the age of 27. The killing was an egregious anti-Asian hate crime of the modern era. It galvanized Asian Americans across the entire country to fight for civil rights in a battle that continues today. Activist and author Helen Zia founded the Vincent Chin Institute two years ago and produced the Vincent Chin Legacy Guide as a reference and teaching tool in English and other languages. The Vincent Chin Legacy Guide is located here: https://bit.ly/3z88akk Back View PDF June 17, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #157 Ted Lieu; Urgent Letter; Franklin Tao; NASEM Workshop; Dr. Keiser Video; Sherry Chen #157 Ted Lieu; Urgent Letter; Franklin Tao; NASEM Workshop; Dr. Keiser Video; Sherry Chen Back View PDF December 2, 2022 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #258 6/3 Monthly Meeting; Chinese Students; Clear&Fair Law Enforcement; 6/6 Forum with FBI+ #258 6/3 Monthly Meeting; Chinese Students; Clear&Fair Law Enforcement; 6/6 Forum with FBI+ In This Issue #258 · 2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Bloomberg: Expulsions of Chinese Students Spread Confusion from Yale to UVA · An Urgent Call for Clear and Fair Law Enforcement Guidelines and Procedures for Research Security · 06/06: An Open and Public Community Forum with The FBI · News and Activities for the Communities 2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, June 3, 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), confirmed speakers are: · Tam Dao , Assistant Vice President for Research Security, Office of Innovation, Rice University, will report on the future of the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Research on Research Security program · Haipei Shue , President, United Chinese Americans, will report on the 2024 Chinese American Convention · Jeremy Wu , Co-Organizer, APA Justice, will preview an alpha version of a web page on the story of exonerated Professor Anming Hu · Anming Hu , Professor, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, will give an update of his situation and his family since the end of his ordeal under the China Initiative. 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 . Bloomberg: Expulsions of Chinese Students Spread Confusion from Yale to UVA According to Bloomberg on May 29, 2024, Customs agents at US airports have barred entry to at least 20 students and scholars with valid visas since November in ‘more insidious’ version of disbanded China Initiative. Susan , a second-year Ph.D. student in biomedical imaging at the University of Virginia, faced relentless questioning from a U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent upon her return from visiting her parents in China. Accused of ties to the Chinese Communist Party, her student visa was abruptly canceled, forcing her to purchase a $1,400 ticket back to Beijing and barring her from the U.S. for five years. Her experience is part of a broader trend where at least 20 Chinese students from prestigious universities have had their visas revoked since November. The Chinese government and lawyers confirmed these accounts, highlighting the lack of transparency and public accountability in these decisions. These actions contradict the efforts to foster educational and cultural exchanges endorsed by U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping .The expulsions reveal internal divisions within the Biden administration, where Customs agents under the Department of Homeland Security are canceling visas approved by the State Department. The Biden administration ended the controversial China Initiative but has continued similar practices covertly, impacting Ph.D. students and researchers without public scrutiny. Susan and others, like Meng Fei , a fifth-year Ph.D. student at Yale, have faced racial and gender discrimination, with their exclusions linked to vague national security concerns under Presidential Proclamation (PP) 10043 . This proclamation targets students with alleged ties to Chinese military-civil fusion, yet the specifics remain undisclosed, causing confusion and fear among affected students. Universities like the University of Virginia and Yale are striving to support their students by seeking clarity and providing legal assistance. However, the ongoing lack of clear guidelines and coordination between federal agencies leaves many students in limbo, disrupting their academic and personal lives. As the U.S. grapples with balancing national security and academic freedom, the impact on foreign-born researchers like Susan underscores the need for transparent and consistent policies to ensure fairness and uphold the integrity of educational exchanges. Two years ago, the Biden administration ended a controversial Trump-era policy known as the China Initiative that purported to root out spies but resulted in more ruined careers than successful prosecutions. Now that program has been succeeded by a piecemeal effort — one that’s largely hidden from public view. Instead of targeting prominent academics, Customs agents are expelling Ph.D. and postdoctoral students, as well as company employees, by secret administrative actions with no public accountability or right to appeal. Marta Meng , founder of the Meng Law Group in Covina, California, who represents Susan and three other expelled students seeking to overturn their bans, said no reason was given to her clients or in transcripts of the airport interviews that she has reviewed. Dan Berger , Meng Fei's lawyer, said he can’t understand why his client would have been subject to PP 10043, as nothing in her background indicates ties to any of the banned universities or to state funding, and her visa was renewed by the State Department just last year. That’s a problem for learning institutions, said Toby Smith , who handles government relations and public policy at the Association of American Universities, which acts on behalf of 71 research universities including the University of Virginia, Yale and other schools with recently banned students. “Despite asking for additional clarity, the specific items that would result in visa denial for Chinese graduate students under Proclamation 10043 have never been disclosed to our universities,” he said. “So we have been left only to speculate as to what might spark such denials.” The secrecy makes what’s going on “much more insidious now,” said Gisela Perez Kusakawa , executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum , a nonprofit organization that promotes academic freedom. “The end of the China Initiative wasn’t the end, they’re just not calling it that anymore,” said Ivan Kanapathy , senior vice president at Beacon Global Strategies, a national security advisory firm in Washington, and a former National Security Council official in the Trump administration. When the Biden administration ended the China Initiative, it said that a 2021 national security memorandum about vetting foreign students would remain in effect. It instructs the State Department to work with Homeland Security to ensure that the granting of visas reflects “the changing nature of risks” to US research. But it doesn’t specify what those risks are or how the agencies should be coordinating enforcement. “The question is, who is coordinating the whole thing, the guidelines and procedures for law enforcement,” said Steven Pei , an electrical engineering professor at the University of Houston and co-organizer of the Asian Pacific American Justice Task Force , which advocates against racial discrimination. “We are trying hard to balance national security, US competitiveness with China in high tech and civil rights,” he said. “But this top-level policy has not trickled down.”Read the Bloomberg report: https://bloom.bg/3wRL4O3 An Urgent Call for Clear and Fair Law Enforcement Guidelines and Procedures for Research Security Neal Lane* , Steven Pei* , and Jeremy Wu* posted a public commentary, calling for the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate their policies using comparable principles and set clear, fair guidelines and procedures. Our scientific success is rooted in core values, including collaboration, honesty, transparency, integrity, the fair competition of ideas, and the protection of intellectual capital. Some foreign entities do not share these values and are working to illicitly acquire our research and innovation. This necessitates laws – and law enforcement.But it is vital that law enforcement guidelines and procedures be clear and fair for maintaining public trust, upholding individual rights, and promoting accountability and consistency within the justice system. Otherwise, we can expect our competitive edge in science and technology to wane, as well as our standing as a leading democracy.With its sharp focus on research security, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has set a balanced path to guide policies of federal agencies that support research. There is a similar need for the FBI, HSI, and other federal law enforcement agencies to coordinate their policies using comparable principles and set clear, fair guidelines and procedures.Given OSTP’s unique role and capability within the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), it should also coordinate with all key law enforcement agencies to close the apparent gap in communication between national science and technology policy set by NSTC and agents at the forefront of law enforcement. In doing so, it can protect America’s security and economic competitiveness while minimizing the unintended negative impact and associated chilling effects on the science and technology community. * Dr. Neal Lane is Senior Fellow in Science and Technology Policy, Baker Institute, Rice University, and Former Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy at the White House. Dr. Steven Pei is Co-Organizer of APA Justice; Founding Chair of United Chinese Americans; and Professor at the University of Houston. Dr. Jeremy Wu is Co-Organizer of APA Justice; Member of Committee of 100; and Retired from the Federal Government. Read the full commentary: https://bit.ly/3yDRaSB 06/06: An Open and Public Community Forum with The FBI On June 6, 2024, the Baker Institute and the Office of Innovation at Rice University, the Texas Multicultural Advocacy Coalition, and APA Justice will co-host a hybrid forum titled " A Dialogue Between the Academic and Asian American Communities and the FBI ." Registration for in-person attendance and Zoom webinar is now open. In 2022, the Department of Justice ended its China Initiative — a strategy to counter Chinese espionage and threats to U.S. research security — after academic and civil rights groups raised concerns about bias and damage to the United States’ scientific enterprise. However, there were several recent media reports of border entry issues for Chinese graduate students and academic researchers who are green card-holders and even American citizens. This event brings together Jill Murphy, deputy assistant director of counterintelligence at the FBI, and the leadership of the FBI’s Houston field office for a dialogue with members of the academic and Asian American communities. It will examine gaps between national science and technology policy and its implementation. It will also explore the possibility of establishing a regular communication channel between the academic and Asian American communities with FBI field offices. Register to join the forum in person: https://bit.ly/4aFwvuK . Register to join the forum via Zoom: https://bit.ly/3wjg759 . News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/05/31 A Discussion on the History of Discrimination Against Asian Americans2024/06/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/06/06 A Dialogue Between Academic/AAPI Communities with The FBI2024/06/20 U.S.-China Relations: Untangling Campaign Rhetoric & Understanding Policy – Teachers Workshop2024/06/20-22 Social Equity Leadership ConferenceVisit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. MOCA Forum: A Discussion on the History of Discrimination Against Asian Americans WHAT: A Discussion on the History of Discrimination Against Asian Americans WHEN: May 31, 2024, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm ET WHERE: 215 Centre Street, New York, NY HOST: Museum of Chinese in America MODERATOR: Scott Wong. Reporter, NBC News SPEAKERS: · Christopher P. Lu, U.S. Representative to the United Nations for Management and Reform · Mark Takano, Member, U.S. House of Representatives DESCRIPTION: From the Chinese Exclusion Act and Japanese incarceration to recent hate crimes, a discussion on the history of discrimination against Asian Americans. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3yG2ltY 3. WHIAANHPI Celebrates 25th Anniversary On June 7, 1999, President Bill Clinton signed Executive Order 13125 establishing a White House Initiative and presidential advisory commission dedicated to improving the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Over the course of 25 years and five presidential administrations, the size and scope of these entities have evolved. But the full story of how they came to be has rarely been told. On May 17, 2024, The White House Initiative on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (WHIAANHPI) posted a documentary video titled "Lasting Legacies - The White House Initiative on AA and NHPIs Turns 25” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9nw4TL80yI (10:29) 4. Two New Pandas Coming to Washington DC According to multiple media reports, months after the nation’s capital bid an emotional farewell to its giant pandas, the National Zoo is expecting a renewed surge in panda-mania with the announcement that two more of the furry black-and-white icons will be coming to Washington DC.A fresh agreement had been struck with the Chinese government, and a pair of adult pandas would be arriving from China by the end of the year. The incoming pair are Bao Li and Qing Bao. Both are two years old.Pandas have been a symbol of U.S.-China friendship since Beijing sent a pair to the National Zoo in 1972, ahead of the normalization of bilateral relations. Later, Beijing loaned pandas to other U.S. zoos, with proceeds going back to panda conservation programs. Back View PDF May 31, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #344 [APA Justice] 8/4 Meeting; Ohio's Bills; China Initiative Harms Science, Security, and Dr. GK Chang+ #344 [APA Justice] 8/4 Meeting; Ohio's Bills; China Initiative Harms Science, Security, and Dr. GK Chang+ In This Issue #344 · 2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Ohio's Pending Alien Land Bills · Revival of China Initiative Harms US Science and Security · Dr. Gee-Kung Chang: "From Injustice to Integrity: A Journey Through Fire" · Third District Court Blocks Trump’s Birthright Citizenship Restrictions · News and Activities for the Communities 2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held on Monday, August 4, 2025, starting at 1:55 pm ET.In addition to updates from: · Judith Teruya , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) · Joanna YangQing Derman , Program Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC · Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) We are honored by and welcome the following distinguished speakers: · Al Green, Member, U.S. Congress (invited) · Munira Abdullahi , Member, Ohio House of Representatives · Guangya Liu , Member, North Carolina House of Representatives · Min Fan , Executive Director, US Heartland China Association 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 . *****Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) hosted Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony at Stanford University on July 25-27, 2025. Picture provided by Vincent Wang , Co-Organizer of APA Justice. Ohio's Pending Alien Land Bills Ohio State Representative Munira Abdullahi is a confirmed invited speaker at the APA Justice monthly meeting on August 4, 2025. We have requested her to update us on House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88 in Ohio, as well as several bills targeting immigrant communities and people of color this year as well.House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88 seeks to restrict land ownership by foreign governments and nationals from “adversary” nations—particularly China—within 25 miles of military and critical infrastructure sites, citing national security concerns. Opponents argue the bill is overly broad, potentially banning ownership across nearly the entire state, and unjustly targeting ordinary immigrants and visa holders. Critics—including lawmakers, legal advocates, and hundreds of Ohio residents—warn the bill promotes racial profiling, echoes historical discrimination, and violates constitutional rights. A key forced-sale provision was removed, but the bill still faces widespread opposition and potential legal challenges. Read the Ohio Capital Journal report: https://bit.ly/4mh5m7J We thank Ohio State Representative Juanita Brent for bringing these pending bills to our attention during the APA Justice monthly meeting on June 2, 2025. Rep. Brent, the daughter of an immigrant, provided a comprehensive overview of six pending legislative bills in Ohio that raise serious concerns about discrimination against immigrants—particularly those from countries such as China and Korea. These bills reflect a broader national trend and illustrate the state's overreach into matters that should fall under federal jurisdiction. · House Bill 1 and Senate Bill 88 have drawn significant attention. They would prohibit individuals from countries the U.S. designates as adversaries from owning homes or businesses, especially near critical infrastructure. Similar legislation has been introduced in 31 other states. · Senate Bill 281 would require hospitals to allow federal immigration enforcement officers entry. Hospitals that fail to comply could lose grant funding and have their Medicaid provider agreements affected. · Senate Bill 282 proposes that courts consider a person’s immigration status when determining sentencing and bail. · House Bill 200 would create criminal penalties for unlawful presence, including fines and a 72-hour window for voluntary departure. It is currently facing opposition in the Public Safety Committee. · House Bill 42 mandates that certain agencies collect and report data on individuals’ citizenship or immigration status. It has received one hearing in the Government Oversight Committee. · House Bill 26 would require law enforcement to share information about arrestees with federal immigration authorities. It would also prohibit Ohio municipalities from providing benefits to undocumented immigrants. Municipalities that fail to comply could risk losing their Local Government Fund allocations. State Rep. Brent emphasized that these bills effectively legalize discrimination and hate—an alarming development. As a country, we have witnessed the consequences of such discrimination in the past. These proposed laws open the door to legalized bias based solely on a person’s country of origin or immigration status.State Rep. Brent stressed that immigration is a federal issue and not the responsibility of individual states. By pursuing these bills, Ohio is overstepping its authority. None of these proposals address legitimate state-level concerns, and many are likely unconstitutional. Nonetheless, they must be challenged at the state level. Revival of China Initiative Harms US Science and Security According to the South China Morning Post , the US House of Representatives is poised to advance a key spending bill that could revive the controversial “China Initiative” – a program that unfairly targeted Chinese American researchers, derailed careers and devastated lives long after it was ended in 2022. The Fiscal Year 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) appropriations bill does not name the program directly, but language in the accompanying report calls for its re-establishment to “maintain America’s competitive edge” and “counter China’s malign ambitions to steal American research”.A scheduled committee meeting to debate the bill was cancelled on July 23, but experts said the provision was likely to remain as the legislation moved towards the Senate.“As a victim of the past China Initiative, I am disheartened by ongoing efforts in Congress to reinstate the misguided programme,” said Gang Chen 陈刚 , a mechanical engineer at MIT who was arrested in 2021 before all charges were dropped.“It is not only discriminatory, but also harms America’s ability to attract top global talent – ultimately weakening, not strengthening, our national security,” he said in a statement released by the Asian American Scholar Forum, a US-based non-profit organization that advocates for academic belonging and equity in Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.Professor Chen is among more than 1,000 US researchers and university staff led by Stanford physicists Steven Kivelson and Peter Michelson in signing a letter that urged lawmakers to remove the provision. The letter, dated July 22, warned that reviving the initiative would deter talent, damage innovation and inadvertently advance China’s own recruitment efforts.Read the South China Morning Post report: https://bit.ly/4omPcvo Over 50 civil society organizations inclduing Defending Rights & Dissent have also sent a joint letter urging the full Appropriations committee to strike the provision. Dr. Gee-Kung Chang: "From Injustice to Integrity: A Journey Through Fire" Robert Fisher , Partner at Nixon Peabody, was the attorney who successfully defended MIT Professor Gang Chen 陈刚 . He spoke at the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 5, 2025, and introduced Professor Gee-Kung (GK) Chang 張繼昆 , whom Robert also represented with colleague Brian Kelly .Rob said this is a critical time for the country and for the Asian American community. Although the China Initiative was officially ended, similar prosecutions are still occurring—particularly targeting professors, scientists, and professionals with ties to China.Rob explained that GK was accused of wire fraud based on allegations that he and a colleague from ZTE conspired to misuse J-1 visa students, supposedly having them work at ZTE while being paid by Georgia Tech.However, the defense pointed out that, even according to the government’s own account, the students were working at Georgia Tech. The indictment was fundamentally flawed—it failed to allege that the financial component was the actual object of the fraud. As a result, the court dismissed most of the charges, leaving only one remaining.That final charge—visa fraud—was also challenged. GK had no role in the visa application process, and Georgia Tech had never provided training on compliance or rules regarding foreign collaboration. Without knowledge or training, there could not have been intent to defraud. Eventually, the government dropped the last remaining charge. GK was fully exonerated after a four-year ordeal under the China Initiative.GK's case highlights a broader issue: many professors were once encouraged to collaborate with China, only to later face prosecution as political attitudes shifted. These retroactive investigations have damaged careers and chilled academic collaboration, especially within the Asian American community.Professor GK Chang shared his personal account of a harrowing legal ordeal during the May 2025 APA Justice monthly meeting. Quoting his written statement titled " From Injustice to Integrity: A Journey Through Fire ," GK told his story that "I stand before you today, not as a victim of injustice, but as a witness to the power of integrity, forged in the fiercest fires of adversity. My journey was never just about reclaiming my freedom — it was about turning pain into a higher purpose, one that lights the way for those still suffering injustice."GK was born in China in 1947, moved to Taiwan as a baby during the Chinese Civil War, and came to the U.S. in 1970 for graduate studies in physics. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Riverside in 1976 and became a U.S. citizen in 1981.With 23 years of experience in industry—including leadership roles at Bell Labs, Bellcore, Telcordia, and OpNext—GK became a pioneer in optoelectronic integration and fiber-optic communications, holding over 50 patents. He received multiple awards, including the R&D 100 Award and the Bellcore President’s Award.In 2002, he joined Georgia Tech as an Eminent Scholar Chair Professor. There, he led major NSF-sponsored research on fiber-wireless networks that laid the foundation for 5G and 6G technologies. He advised 30 Ph.D. students, published over 500 papers, and earned Fellow honors from IEEE and the Optical Society of America. He was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of National Tsing Hua University and received Georgia Tech’s Distinguished Faculty Achievement Award.On March 24, 2021, GK’s life was changed forever when nine federal agents arrested him at home without warning, accusing him of conspiracy and wire fraud under the now-defunct “China Initiative.” Despite his clean record and decades of academic and industry contributions, he was publicly indicted without prior notice. Though released on a low bail, the arrest devastated his personal and professional life. The media portrayed him as guilty, his reputation collapsed, and colleagues and friends distanced themselves, leaving him isolated and emotionally shattered.Despite being wrongfully indicted, GK stood firm, relying on his values, family, and a few loyal allies. Through careful review of over a million pages of documents with his legal team of Rob Fisher and Brian Kelly, he uncovered major flaws in the case against him: factual inaccuracies, missing evidence, and prosecutorial misconduct. The charges lacked legal grounding and were based partly on the testimony of a disgruntled former student. The government misunderstood academic norms and pursued the case without proof of intent, fraud, or personal gain—revealing a deeply flawed and unjust prosecution.Faced with multiple plea offers, including one to plead guilty to a single misdemeanor, GK refused to admit guilt for a crime he did not commit. He chose to fight on despite financial strain. A pivotal moment came in August 2023, when a prosecutor admitted in court that GK had not gained any money from the alleged offenses—contradicting the indictment’s claims. This crucial fact had been withheld from the grand jury, exposing serious prosecutorial misconduct and strengthening his case for vindication.The case shifted dramatically after the court dismissed 9 of the 10 charges on March 1, 2024. Empowered by this decision, GK demanded a speedy trial under the Sixth Amendment, confident of full vindication. However, the emotional strain took a serious toll: he suffered a heart attack in May 2024 and underwent emergency surgery. As he recovered, his focus turned not just to clearing his name, but reclaiming his dignity. The ordeal was nearing its end, but had already come at a profound personal cost.The final charge was dismissed on April 14, 2025, through a motion filed by the prosecutor and approved by the judge, fully exonerating GK without a trial. Yet, the long-awaited freedom brought no joy. After four years of legal battles, he was left emotionally scarred, physically worn, and financially depleted. Professionally, the damage was irreversible—four crucial years of innovation and contribution at the peak of his career were lost forever. Despite the pain, the ordeal brought GK clarity and a renewed sense of purpose. He emerged not only as a survivor but as a seeker of truth, justice, and understanding. His faith in the justice system was shaken, as he came to see its vulnerability to error, bias, and ambition. He now believes that justice does not automatically protect the innocent and must be actively pursued with courage and conviction. Upholding what is right requires strength, even in the face of overwhelming adversity—because justice is never guaranteed, only earned. Quoting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. , GK concluded his statement by stating: "I share my testimony, 'A Journey Through Fire,' not for sympathy, but as a warning—and as a beacon."To those suffering similar injustice:"You are not alone."And by standing together,"we can help ensure that no one else must endure this tribulation again." Read the story of Professor GK Chang: https://bit.ly/GeeKungChang . Read his statement " From Injustice to Integrity: A Journey Through Fire ." Watch the video of Robert Fisher and GK Chang at the APA Justice monthly meeting on May 5, 2025: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbh1EkabX6I (19:00). Third District Court Blocks Trump's Birthright Citizenship Restrictions According to AP , Newsweek , The Hill , and multiple media reports, U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin of Massachusetts blocked the Trump administration from ending birthright citizenship for the children of undocumented or temporary immigrants. This marks the third court ruling to do so, despite a recent Supreme Court decision limiting nationwide injunctions.Judge Sorokin found the executive order unconstitutional in a 23-page ruling . He said a patchwork approach to the birthright order would not protect the states in part because a substantial number of people move between states. He also blasted the Trump administration, saying it had failed to explain how a narrower injunction would work. “That is, they have never addressed what renders a proposal feasible or workable, how the defendant agencies might implement it without imposing material administrative or financial burdens on the plaintiffs, or how it squares with other relevant federal statutes,” the judge wrote. “In fact, they have characterized such questions as irrelevant to the task the Court is now undertaking. The defendants’ position in this regard defies both law and logic.”Sorokin acknowledged his order would not be the last word on birthright citizenship. Trump and his administration “are entitled to pursue their interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment, and no doubt the Supreme Court will ultimately settle the question,” Sorokin wrote. “But in the meantime, for purposes of this lawsuit at this juncture, the Executive Order is unconstitutional.” For now, Trump's order remains blocked.Judge Sorokin's ruling aligned with the U.S. District Court in New Hampshire and the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals covering the western states inclduing California. The issue will likely be decided by the Supreme Court. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/07/28 (Digital) Travel Safety and Security Training2025/07/29 C100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Linda Chao Yang2025/07/29 From Heartland to Mainland: 2025 Future Ag Leaders Delegation2025/07/29 Bridging Generations of U.S.-China Education Exchange: American Scholars to China2025/07/31 (Digital) Travel Safety and Security Training2025/07/31-08/10 Asian American International Film Festival2025/08/02-07 2025 Joint Statistical Meetings2025/08/04 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF July 28, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #330 Fears of the Revival of the China Initiative #330 Fears of the Revival of the China Initiative In This Issue #330 · Indiana University Professor Raided by the FBI, Dismissed without Explanation · New College of Florida Professor Terminated under Controversial State Law · “China Initiative” Webinar Hosted at Michigan State University · Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America The recent FBI raids on Indiana University professor Xiaofeng Wang , along with the dismissal of another Chinese American professor, Kevin Wang , by the New College of Florida, have stirred deep anxiety among Chinese American scientists and researchers. In this special issue, we take a closer look at the possible revival of the China Initiative - a controversial program launched during the first Trump administration to combat economic espionage but widely criticized for disproportionately targeting Chinese American scientists. The renewed effort has been dubbed by some as “China Initiative 2.0.” APA Justice will continue to monitor these developments and provide updates through our newsletters , social media and monthly meetings . The goal of this issue is to raise awareness and draw attention to this important topic. We invite you to stay engaged and follow our ongoing coverage . Indiana University Professor Raided by the FBI, Dismissed without Explanation On March 28, 2025, based on multiple media reports, the FBI carried out court-authorized searches at two residences belonging to Professor Xiaofeng Wang and his wife, Nianli Ma , located in Bloomington and Carmel, Indiana. While the exact details of the investigation remain unclear, Wang had reportedly come under scrutiny for allegedly failing to disclose a 2017–2018 grant in China that listed him as a researcher. Professor Wang, a Chinese American computer scientist, has been a respected faculty member at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering since 2004. A graduate of two Chinese universities in the 1990s, Wang worked as a software engineer and IT specialist before earning his doctorate from Carnegie Mellon University. Over the years, he built a strong reputation as one of the nation’s leading experts in systems security and privacy, overseeing nearly $23 million in grant funding by 2022.Following the FBI raids, Wang’s profile was abruptly removed from Indiana University’s website. The university terminated both Wang and his wife, Ma — who worked as a systems analyst at the university library — four days apart. The university has yet to publicly explain the reasons for their dismissal.Attorney James Covert , representing the couple, confirmed that neither Wang nor Ma has been arrested or charged. “Professor Wang and Ms. Ma are grateful for the support of colleagues at Indiana University and in the academic community,” Covert said in a statement. “They look forward to clearing their names and resuming their careers once the investigation concludes.” Ma spoke about her family situation at the State of Play Town Hall hosted by the Asian American Scholar Forum on April 14. · APA Justice Impacted Person page: Xiaofeng Wang · Professor Abruptly Fired Amid FBI Raid · Fired prof accused of research misconduct, FBI involvement unclear · Wife, son of cybersecurity professor Xiaofeng Wang make first comments since FBI raid · A Cybersecurity Professor Disappeared Amid an FBI Search. His Family Is ‘Determined to Fight’ New College of Florida Professor Terminated under Controversial State Law Meanwhile, in Florida, Professor Kevin Wang, a Chinese national holding valid U.S. work authorization, was abruptly dismissed from his position at the New College of Florida in March. His termination came under Florida’s Senate Bill 846 (SB 846) — a 2023 state law that bars public universities and colleges from employing individuals from so-called “countries of concern,” including China. Wang’s firing has become a flashpoint in a broader legal and civil rights battle challenging Florida’s crackdown on hiring foreign nationals in public higher education. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida criticized the law, calling it unconstitutional and discriminatory. “The Florida law cited in the firing of this Chinese professor codifies anti-Asian discrimination,” the group wrote in a recent Facebook post. “It’s why we’re fighting it in court.”On March 27, just two weeks after Wang’s dismissal, a federal judge in Miami issued a preliminary injunction temporarily blocking the law’s hiring restrictions, specifically as they apply to international students. Florida has since appealed the ruling and filed a motion seeking to pause the injunction while the case proceeds. Although the ruling addressed students, civil rights advocates believe it could lay the groundwork for broader challenges on behalf of faculty members.The renewed scrutiny of Chinese academics and scientists has stirred memories of the now-defunct China Initiative, which was criticized for disproportionately targeting Chinese and Asian American researchers, often without clear evidence of wrongdoing. · APA Justice Impacted Person page: Kevin Wang · New College fires Chinese professor under controversial Florida ‘countries of concern’ law · Firing of Chinese asylum seeker under SB 846 raises alarm in Florida and beyond · Report: New College of Florida Fires Chinese Adjunct, Citing Regulations · Asian American Scholar Forum Alarmed by Termination of New College of Florida Professor Under Florida’s SB 846 “China Initiative” Webinar Hosted at Michigan State University In a webinar on China Initiative hosted by Michigan State University's Asian Pacific American Studies Program on March 12, Dr. Jeremy Wu , Founder of APA Justice , was a panelist along with Dr. Lok Siu of UC Berkeley. The event was moderated by Dr. Kent Weber of Michigan State University. Dr. Wu provided an in-depth overview of the initiative’s history and impact. Launched in November 2018, the China Initiative aimed to address economic espionage but quickly shifted focus to Asian American academics, particularly those of Chinese descent. Over its 1,210-day duration, it led to 77 known cases and affected 162 individuals. More than two dozen scientists faced prosecution, none for espionage or trade secret theft. The initiative harmed not just individuals but also academic freedom, open science, and U.S. leadership in research.Even before the DOJ’s involvement, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had already initiated investigations in 2018, sending 10,000 letters to research institutions about alleged foreign ties. In response, advocacy groups and professional networks mobilized, providing support and pushing for policy change. Their efforts ultimately led to the initiative’s termination in February 2022.However, challenges remain. As of now, the U.S. Congress has not officially revived the “China Initiative” in name, but there are signs of similar efforts resurfacing under different guises. Within the current political climate, these types of laws and investigations will likely expand, even if the “China Initiative” name is not used. · China Initiative - Timeline of Major Events · Impacted Persons List · Attempts to Revive China Initiative Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America On March 21, 2025, the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project at Simon Fraser University, Canada, invited Dr. Anming Hu for an event named Fighting Racial Profiling and the Criminalization of Academia in North America, both in-person and online. The event was moderated by Dr. Xinying Hu of Simon Fraser University. Dr. Jane Wang of University of British Columbia, and Dr. Jie Yang of Simon Fraser University participated as discussants.This event was one of the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project’s ongoing series of Academic Freedom, Anti-racial profiling and Labour Rights. The series is sponsored by the Labour Studies Program and the Simon Fraser University Morgan Centre for Labour Research , Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) and Canada-China Focus (CCF). The purpose of the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project is to engage and support researchers, scholars, as well as graduate students of Chinese descent and other minority groups to fight against racial profiling and defend academic freedom in the increasingly restrictive national security measures adopted by the Canadian government through its Named Research Organizations in Sensitive Technology Research Areas, and legalized control of academic freedom under the newly passed Bill C-70, the Countering Foreign Interference Act. Through organizing open conversations, the Chinese Canadian Faculty Project hopes to foster an inclusive and open academic environment.At the event, Dr. Hu shared his powerful story as the first academic wrongfully charged and went on trial under the China Initiative. He spoke about what he experienced, the impacts on his academic career, his life and his family. He spoke out against racial profiling, and warned about the dangers of overreach in national security measures targeting academia. Immediate impact of the event: As a Chinese Canadian, Dr. Anming Hu’s story was known to the Chinese Canadian academic community. The event attracted attention nationwide in Canada. Scholars in sensitive technology areas have a wide fear of racial profiling and being wrongfully treated by their own government. Therefore, university professors, scholars and students participated widely. There were more than seventy attendees across North America. The participants addressed their concerns during the panel discussion. They consulted Dr. Hu regarding legal concerns and sought advice on how to protect themselves. In response, Dr. Hu shared insights from his own experience. Political impact: Beyond attracting academia attention, the event has also drawn interest from politicians. Senator Yuen Pau Woo participated in person. He was concerned about whether the Canadian government provided adequate support to Dr. Hu when he encountered injustice. He asked whether the Canadian government took any action to help Dr. Hu during his investigation and trial, and if any Canadian diplomats, government agencies or parliamentarians stood up to support him. In addition, Senator Yuen Pau Woo also asked if the Canadian government would provide similar advice and support when a Canadian citizen encountered similar legal problems in China. Dr. Hu responded how the Canadian government instructed him to “follow the U.S. law” and provided no help. In comparison, Dr. Hu addressed how U.S. congressional members provided assistance in his case. He hopes that the Canadian government will be more proactive in protecting its citizens in the future, especially when handling similar legal issues, and can act more forcefully and effectively. Social impact: A local Vancouver social activist Ally Wang participated in the event in person. The Stop Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Advocacy Group , which she co-founded, helped promote the event. She writes articles for Chinese language media. She has translated Dr. Anming Hu’s story into Chinese and will publish in a Chinese language magazine.In conclusion, the event raised attention to racial profiling against Chinese professors in the academy in both Canada and America. It called wide attention to academic independence and impartiality, firmly oppose political interference, and encourage everyone to actively participate in discussions among universities, policymakers and the public to jointly promote the construction of an inclusive and fair higher education environment. # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the new APA Justice website under development at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . We value your feedback. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF April 30, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #73 Qing Wang Case Dropped; Feds Transparency; CAPAC in Action; 07/12 Meeting Summary #73 Qing Wang Case Dropped; Feds Transparency; CAPAC in Action; 07/12 Meeting Summary Back View PDF July 19, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

The abrupt dismissal of visa fraud and other charges against five scientists from China in five separate “China Initiative” cases and the FBI reports from the discovery process exposed the weaknesses of the prosecutions, dissension in the FBI’s own ranks, and exaggerated claims of national security risks by the government. July 22, 2021 Table of Contents Overview Non-Armed Uniformed Services in the US “Startling” Claim by Assistant Attorney General John Demers What the Juan Tang Case Revealed What the Lei Guan Case Revealed Links and References Overview In court filings on July 22 and 23, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) abruptly moved to drop visa fraud and other charges against five scientists from China in five separate "China Initiative" cases, including four biomedical and cancer researchers in California and a doctoral candidate studying artificial intelligence in Indiana. U.S. District judges have granted dismissal in three of the five cases. The five Chinese nationals are: Lei Guan (关磊), Visiting researcher (mathematics), University of California at Los Angeles Dr. Chen Song (宋琛), Visiting researcher (neurology), Stanford University Dr. Juan Tang (唐娟), Visiting researcher (cancer), University of California at Davis Xin Wang (王欣), Visiting researcher (neurology), University of California at San Francisco Kaikai Zhao (赵凯凯), Doctoral candidate (machine learning and artificial intelligence), Indiana University Prosecutors did not provide explanations in their motions to dismiss. According to multiple media reports, Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesman issued a statement that said "[r]ecent developments in a handful of cases involving defendants with alleged, undisclosed ties to the People’s Liberation Army of the People’s Republic of China have prompted the department to re-evaluate these prosecutions... We have determined that it is now in the interest of justice to dismiss them.” DOJ announced the visa fraud charges against four of the five scientists exactly a year ago on July 23, 2020. Just a day earlier, the U.S. ordered China to close its consulate in Houston, accusing it of being a "spy center" to conduct spying activities with local medical centers or universities. The fifth scientist, Lei Guan, was first charged in August 2020 for Destruction and Alteration of Records in a Federal Investigation with visa fraud charges added in September 2020. Although the DOJ did not provide an explanation for the dismissals, Reuters reported that there was "recently disclosed evidence of a report by FBI analysts that questioned if the visa application question on 'military service' was clear enough for Chinese medical scientists at military universities and hospitals." In another report by the Washington Post , an unnamed official was quoted to say that "the punishment for visa fraud typically does not exceed a year. That fact, combined with the prospect of prolonged litigation in several instances, led officials to assess that the interests of justice were best served by dropping the cases." Non-Armed Uniformed Services in the US Some of these five prosecutions were based on photos of the individuals in uniform. However, wearing a uniform does not always imply military service. Out of the eight branches of uniformed services of the United States, two are non-armed: The United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps is the uniformed personnel system of the United States Public Health Service, which is under the Department of Health and Human Services. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps is a uniformed branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is under the Department of Commerce. “Startling” Claim by Assistant Attorney General John Demers On December 2, 2020, The Washington Post reported that John Demers, Assistant Attorney General John Demers claimed that more than 1,000 researchers who had hidden their affiliation with the Chinese military fled the United States. The exodus came in the wake of the arrests of six Chinese researchers accused of lying on their visa applications about their ties to the People’s Liberation Army. The arrests, coupled with the closure of the Chinese Consulate in Houston, which U.S. officials said served as a command-and-control node to direct spying operations, were intended to send a signal to Beijing. The figure was described as “startling” and has not been supported by any factual evidence. What the Juan Tong Case Revealed On July 19, 2021, defense attorneys for Dr. Juan Tang filed a Defendant's Trial Brief and Memorandum Supporting Dismissal at Trial . It included a section on "The FBI’s Deliberate Failure to Disclose Critical Exculpatory Evidence to the Court and to the Defense Warrants a Dismissal of this Ill-Conceived Indictment." "There is dissension in the FBI’s own ranks," the trial brief started. It cited that the government intentionally did not comply with the discovery order for the trial and highlighted that "... just days ago, a heavily redacted report dated for release four months ago, on April 1, 2021, which the government did not disclose to this Court when it ruled on Dr. Tang’s Motion to Dismiss." Exhibit A shows a FBI Background Note dated April 1, which includes a statement that investigations and expert interviews "suggest that the visa application form (DS-160) potentially lacks clarity when it comes to declaring one's military service or affiliation." Specifically, the highlighted response to the question “Is this obfuscation indicative of nefarious intent?” says: Investigations associated with these individuals as well as PLA experts interviewed in the cases cited above suggest that the visa application form (DS-160) potentially lacks clarity when it comes to declaring one’s military service or affiliation. China’s PLA is not a direct analog to how the US military services are set up, especially regarding the PLA’s Civilian Cadre. CTTAU assesses that while some intentional obfuscation is almost certainly being used by the PLA to gain entry into the US, there are grey areas where it is difficult for the FBI and DOS to determine whether obfuscation is intentional or for nefarious tech transfer purposes. Among the Civilian Cadre are a significant number of doctors and nurses and other professionals that at times are required to wear a military type uniform, but who would not necessarily consider themselves soldiers despite being considered as active duty. There are also contract civilians who work for the PLA, but are not considered active duty military. Within investigations it may also appear as if students and scholars from particular MCF-designated and PLA-affiliated universities and institutions are obfuscating their respective affiliations by not declaring military service despite having academic advisors who are PLA officers, but the FBI has an incomplete understanding of the full nature of this student/scholar to academic advisor relationship. What the Lei Guan Case Revealed A partially redacted draft FBI report appeared as part of an exhibit in a non-motion response filed in the case of Lei Guan on July 12, 2021. It is titled Fourth Military Medical University Interviews and Arrests Likely Had Minimal Impact in Mitigating Technology Transfer Threats from PRC Students dated March 19, 2021. The 28-page exhibit includes a draft white paper that provides assessments on seven cases under the "China Initiative," including the five that were dismissed. The draft paper states that targeting of the researcher and students "likely had minimal, short-term positive impact on the technology transfer threat from PRC students, scholars, and researchers." In addition, "[o]nly two of the arrests had a nexus to technology transfer violations, ... and none included charges related to other counterintelligence concerns." The operation "likely contributed to the deterioration of the FBI's delicate yet valuable relationship with some US universities by not exercising more caution before approaching PRC students." Although there was strong advice against investigating and arresting students and researchers with the operation, "several FBI field offices proceeded with visa fraud charges for individuals who met the criteria but did not meet the threshold for a high-priority technology transfer threat." "It is in the best national security interest of the FBI to strategically identify, target, and mitigate PRC technology transfer threats while also preserving educational opportunities in the United States for PRC students who do not pose a threat," said an unredacted portion of the FBI report. A footnote also stated that "the FBI does not consider clinical medicine an area of concern for PRC technology transfer." According to the exhibit, a FBI Supervisory Intelligence Analyst drafted the report as a response to a February 2021 award nomination. She was originally included as part of the award nomination but disagreed about the "high impact" the award's nomination claimed to have made. She did not think the arrest of the PLA students met the threshold for high impact at that time, as she assessed at an early stage the impact was minimal. The draft was a way for her to dispute the information contained in the awards packet. She removed herself from the award nomination. Jump to: Overview Non-Armed Uniformed Services in the US “Startling” Claim by Assistant Attorney General John Demers What the Juan Tang Case Revealed What the Lei Guan Case Revealed The abrupt dismissal of visa fraud and other charges against five scientists from China in five separate “China Initiative” cases and the FBI reports from the discovery process exposed the weaknesses of the prosecutions, dissension in the FBI’s own ranks, and exaggerated claims of national security risks by the government. Previous Next 8. Five Visa Fraud Cases Dismissed

Three major scientific organizations voiced concerns about racial profiling by publishing an open letter titled "Racial Profiling Harms Science." March 21, 2019 Three major scientific organizations took leadership in voicing its concerns about racial profiling by publishing an open letter titled " Racial Profiling Harms Science " in Science on March 21, 2019. The Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA, 美洲华人生物科学学会), The Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON, 美国华裔血液及肿瘤专家学会), and The Chinese Biological Investigators Society (CBIS, 华人生物学者教授学会) represent the largest and a rapidly growing professional group for scientists, mostly of Chinese descent, in many biomedical disciplines. The letter expresses concerns about the recent political rhetoric and policies that single out students and scholars of Chinese descent working in the United States as threats to U.S. national interests. It also received a response led by NIH Director Dr. Francis S. Collins, which pledged that "NIH is committed to avoiding overreaction, stigmatization, harassment, and profiling. We will use our influence and bully pulpit as necessary to speak out against such prejudicial actions, for which there is no place in the biomedical research community." Three major scientific organizations voiced concerns about racial profiling by publishing an open letter titled "Racial Profiling Harms Science." Previous Next Major Scientific Organizations Voice Concerns About Racial Profiling

Newsletter - #298 US-China STA Renewed; Arkansas' Laws Halted; Andy Kim on Tolerance; Lisa Su; More #298 US-China STA Renewed; Arkansas' Laws Halted; Andy Kim on Tolerance; Lisa Su; More In This Issue #298 · US-China Science Technology Agreement Renewed · Arkansas' Foreign Ownership Restrictions Halted · Senator Andy Kim on Tolerance and Unity · Time CEO of The Year: Lisa Su · News and Activities for the Communities US-China Science Technology Agreement Renewed According to the Washington Post, Reuters, Nature, Science, NBC News, and other media reports, the United States and China renewed but narrowed a long-running science and technology agreement on December 13, 2024, marking continuity in their ties while also accounting for bilateral tensions that are likely to only grow under the incoming Trump administration. The previous agreement expired on August 27, 2024. The U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, which was first signed in 1979 to enable basic research collaboration between the two countries, will be renewed for five years under altered terms that reflect the fraught reality of today’s U.S.-China relationship, according to statements from the U.S. and Chinese governments.The new version modifies the terms to account for the increased tensions between the two countries, including clarification of rules on data sharing and how to resolve disputes.With new guardrails around research security and transparency, as well as intellectual property protections, the agreement ensures that any federal science and technology cooperation with China “benefits the United States and minimizes risks to U.S. national security,” according to a State Department statement . “This Agreement does not facilitate the development of critical and emerging technologies.” The State Council of the People's Republic of China issued a statement on December 14. The extension of the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology is in line with the interests of the two peoples, and is what the international community hopes to see, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on December 16.Many scientists are pleased. “The new agreement is a very positive step,” says Deborah Seligsohn , a political scientist at Villanova University. “It’s a signal to U.S. scientists that their government still values a bilateral relationship with China, even one with more guardrails.” Li Tang , a science policy specialist at Fudan University, calls the latest version “a win-win-win for the U.S., China, and other nations that benefit from not having to take sides” in the growing economic and political competition between the two superpowers.The new agreement also covers the safety of individual scientists. According to State Department official, “We don’t want U.S. researchers involved in an innocuous project to be caught up in a situation where some overzealous official harasses them or detains them. We wanted to signal to Congress that we are aware of issues of arbitrary detention and exit bans in China.”Chinese observers think the concern for researcher safety should cut both ways. “Ensuring fairness and safety for Chinese researchers abroad is essential to re-establishing a stable framework for scientific exchange and joint research,” Tang says, citing the harmful effect on Chinese scientists of a campaign launched by the Trump administration to thwart Chinese economic espionage. 2024/12/16 China Daily : Sino-US sci-tech agreement extended 2024/12/14 NBC News: U.S. and China renew science and technology pact amid growing rivalry 2024/12/13 Washington Post : U.S. and China renew science agreement as officials brace for new tensions 2024/12/13 Reuters : Biden administration inks renewed science cooperation deal with China; Republicans cry foul 2024/12/13 Nature : US and China sign new science pact — but with severe restrictions 2024/12/13 Science : United States and China renew science pact despite rising tensions Arkansas' Foreign Ownership Laws Halted On December 11, 2024, the National Agricultural Law Center reported that a U.S. District Court in Arkansas issued a preliminary injunction in favor of Jones Eagle, LLC., or Qimin "Jimmy" Chen , a naturalized U.S. citizen who lives in New York. Chen controls the firm through Eagle Asset Holding Inc., which owns a majority stake in Jones Eagle. The ruling prevents the state from enforcing its foreign ownership laws against the plaintiff until further notice. This followed an earlier temporary restraining order (TRO) granted to Jones Eagle, which halted Arkansas’s enforcement of its foreign ownership laws for 14 days, expiring on December 9, 2024.In its 43-page ruling , the Court found that the Arkansas laws may conflict with federal law and constitutional protections. It rejected the state's motion to dismiss, affirming the lawsuit's jurisdiction and ripeness.The lawsuit, Jones Eagle LLC v. Ward ( 4:24-cv-00990) , was filed on November 13, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. It challenges Arkansas Acts 636 (2023) and 174 (2024) as unconstitutional. The injunction was granted based on the likelihood that Jones Eagle would succeed on its claims, including arguments about preemption, equal protection, and due process violations. The case continues with a focus on constitutional and federal preemption issues.According to Arkansas Advocate , Jones Eagle filed suit against the state, Arkansas Secretary of Agriculture Wes Ward and Attorney General Tim Griffin . The suit claims the two laws violate the Fourteenth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by denying due process, illegally discriminating against a person based on national origin and depriving a person of just compensation for taking property. The plaintiff is represented by Kutak Rock LLP and Paul L. Hoffman, Director of Civil Rights Clinic, and Robert S. Chang, Executive Director of the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at University of California Irvine School of Law Act 636 , also known as Senate Bill 383, prohibits ownership of property in Arkansas by companies or individuals connected with the Chinese government and several other countries considered adversaries of the United States. It gives the state agriculture department authority to investigate allegations of such ownership and directs the attorney general to take action to force the divestiture of the property through judicial foreclosure. Act 174 , also known as Senate Bill 79, amended the law regulating digital asset mining operations, also known as data centers, and prohibits ownership by “foreign-party-controlled” interests connected to the same countries listed in Act 636.Read more about Senate Bill 383 and other state alien land bills at the Committee 100 tracker for the 2023 legislative session at https://bit.ly/4cqxFfg The Arkansas lawsuit was discussed briefly by Ashley Gorski , Senior Staff Attorney for ACLU, during the alien land laws webinar co-hosted by the Committee of 100 and APA Justice on December 11, 2024. In response to a question from the audience about who should be contacted by individuals impacted by state alien land laws, Gorski suggests that they may contact ACLU and her at agorski@aclu.org . Information about the about the webinar is located here: https://bit.ly/3CEWK9p . A video recording of the webinar is posted at https://www.youtube.com/user/committee100 Committee of 100 Alien Land Laws Tracker ( 2024 , 2023 )APA Justice: Alien Land Bills 2024/12/10 National Agricultural Law Center: Federal Judge Halts Enforcement of Arkansas' Foreign Ownership Restrictions 2024/12/09 Jones Eagle LLC v. Ward (4:24-cv-00990): Redacted Preliminary Injunction Order 2024/11/26 Arkansas Advocate : Arkansas laws targeting foreign ownership of land and data center put on hold Senator Andy Kim on Tolerance and Unity Newly-elected Senator Andy Kim made a poignant observation as he transitioned from the House to the Senate. Reflecting on the House chamber, he shared something that often goes unnoticed: the center aisle—the one the President walks down for the State of the Union, dividing the Republican and Democratic sides—ends at an inscription of the word "Tolerance." "Why 'tolerance'?" he asked.At first glance, tolerance might not seem particularly inspiring. The word can even sound negative, as in tolerating noise or bad behavior. That’s why political leaders often prefer terms like "unity." Why, then, isn’t "unity" inscribed in this central location? After all, the nation's motto, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), is inscribed on the Capitol Dome, a symbol of national identity.Senator Kim reflected that tolerance offers a unique path toward togetherness while still recognizing the challenges posed by differences. Unlike unity, which can sometimes suggest total agreement or harmony, tolerance acknowledges that differences exist—and that they always will. It does not suggest a melting pot where everyone is the same or a singular sense of what it means to be American. Instead, tolerance embraces the idea that our belief in freedom is more important than our discomfort with how others live their lives."Tolerance exists in the space between unity and disunity," he observed. It rejects the notion that we are enemies and instead fosters respect for one another despite our differences. Tolerance stands against separation and segregation, promoting coexistence over division. Importantly, tolerance is not a weakness. It does not mean compromising one’s values or ignoring hate. As President John F. Kennedy famously said, "Tolerance implies no lack of commitment to one's own beliefs. Rather, it condemns the oppression or persecution of others." Senator Kim acknowledged that building a society grounded in tolerance is not easy. "How do we forge a tolerance that flows in all directions?" he asked. "I don’t claim to have all the answers. But I do think there’s value in the concept and that it should be thought of with similar rigor as we do toward unity."In reframing tolerance as an active and essential value—not merely a fallback from unity—Senator Kim reclaimed the term from its often-dismissive connotations. While unity may inspire, tolerance is the framework that allows a diverse society to function. His remarks invite a deeper engagement with the idea of tolerance, not as an abstract principle, but as a call to action for coexistence and mutual respect. Time CEO of The Year: Lisa Su Lisa Su 蘇姿丰 , the CEO of AMD, was named Time 's 2024 CEO of the Year in recognition of her transformative leadership in the semiconductor industry. Under her guidance, AMD achieved a remarkable turnaround, evolving from a struggling company with stock prices at $3 per share in 2014 to a powerhouse trading at over $130 today. Su's strategic focus enabled AMD to surpass Intel in company value and expand its influence into gaming and artificial intelligence technologies. Time highlighted Su's hands-on leadership style, noting her weekend meetings, detailed review of technical documents, and direct involvement in evaluating prototype chips. Her work ethic and innovation have positioned AMD as a major competitor in the rapidly growing AI chip sector. Su has been lauded as a trailblazer, emphasizing the critical role of semiconductors in shaping the future of AI and other technologies.Su , 55, was born in Taiwan and received her BS, MS, and Ph.D. degrees from MIT. She is cousin of Jensen Huang 黃仁勳 , founder, president and chief executive officer of Nvidia. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/12/22 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/01/06 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/01/15 Master Class: Maintaining the Effectiveness of Organizational Equity Initiatives in the Current Environment2024/01/16 Master Classes: Asian American Career Lessons2025/01/19 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/02/13-15 2025 AAAS Annual Meeting2025/02/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100 Launches “Master Classes for Organizations: Managing Equity Initiatives” The Committee of 100 is launching a new program under the title of “Master Classes for Organizations: Managing Equity Initiatives” where it will feature experts who will conduct tutorials on various topics related to how organizations (corporate, non-profit, government) can more effectively manage their equity initiatives. Two classes will be held on January 15 and 16, 2025, respectively. This program is separate from the Master Classes for Individuals programs that focus on giving advice to Asian Americans as individuals who are dealing with career ceiling issues. WHAT : “Master Class: Maintaining the Effectiveness of Organizational Equity Initiatives in the Current Environment” WHEN: January 15, 2025, 6:00 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE : Online Webinar HOST: Committee of 100 Moderator : Peter Young , CEO, Young & Partners; Committee of 100 Speakers: · Joyce Chang , Global Head of Research for J.P. Morgan and Executive Sponsor for J.P. Morgan Chase’s network for employees of Asian heritage (AsPIRE) · Jenny R. Yang , Workplace Equal Opportunity Government Leader, Former Chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Former White House, Domestic Policy Council as a Deputy Assistant to the President for Racial Justice and Equity REGISTRATION : https://bit.ly/4iMC1B8 ***** WHAT : "Master Classes: Asian American Career Lessons – Developing a Personal Brand” WHEN: January 16, 2025, 6:00 - 7:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE : Online Webinar HOST: Committee of 100 Moderator : Peter Young , CEO, Young & Partners; Committee of 100 Speaker: Jerry Won , CEO of Just Like Media REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/4ge4gXI 3. SoCal man pleads guilty to hate crime against Asian woman According to AsAmNews and LA Times on December 12, 2024, a Southern California man punched an Asian American woman in the head and shouted slurs at her as she lay injured in the street. Now he has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime.The victim, who is unnamed in the plea agreement, was walking to work in Culver City at 1 a.m. on June 14, 2021. Jesse Lindsey , 38, described as a homeless man who last lived in Fontana, approached the victim, whom he perceived to be Asian, prosecutors said."You can't say hi to a motherf— white boy?" he reportedly yelled, before punching the victim and knocking her down. According to prosecutors, Lindsey shouted, "You hear what I said?" and referred to the woman using the N-word. "I said good morning, b—." The victim received 11 stitches for her injuries after hitting her head on the street when she fell.He is scheduled to be sentenced in March, 2025. # # # APA Justice Task Force is a non-partisan platform to build a sustainable ecosystem that addresses racial profiling concerns and to facilitate, inform, and advocate on selected issues related to justice and fairness for the Asian Pacific American community. For more information, please refer to the APA Justice website at www.apajusticetaskforce.org . As part of its continuing migration to a new website under construction, we have moved the Newsletter webpage to www.apajusticetaskforce.org/newsletters . We value your feedback about the new web page. Please send your comments to contact@apajustice.org . Back View PDF December 17, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter