Newsletter - #216 Florida Land Law Condemned; Anti-Chinese Immigrant Smears; NIH Hearing/Draft Policy; + #216 Florida Land Law Condemned; Anti-Chinese Immigrant Smears; NIH Hearing/Draft Policy; + In This Issue #216 · Krishnamoorthi Condemns Unfair Targeting of PRC Nationals by Florida Land Ownership Law · How Florida Land Law Has Affected Buyers and Real Estate Agents · Nebraska Governor Dismisses Reporter as Being "from Communist China" · NIH Director Hearing and Draft Scientific Integrity Policy for Public Comment · News and Activities for the Communities Krishnamoorthi Condemns Unfair Targeting of PRC Nationals by Florida Land Ownership Law On October 20, 2023, Raja Krishnamoorti , Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on The CCP, issued a statement following reports of PRC (People's Republic of China) nationals being unfairly targeted for attempting to become homeowners in the state of Florida due to a recent law signed by Governor Ron DeSantis . Florida’s Senate Bill 264 would prohibit individuals who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents and whose “domicile” is in the PRC from owning or purchasing any real property. Earlier this year, the Department of Justice, in commenting on the extreme nature of the law, stated that it would, “cause serious harm to people simply because of their national origin, contravene federal civil rights laws, undermine constitutional rights, and will not advance the state’s purported goal of increasing public safety.” “A law preventing grandparents from purchasing a home close to their grandchildren so they can spend time with family does nothing to make America more secure or more competitive against the Chinese Communist Party. The implementation of Florida’s law is ambiguous, unclear, and opens the door for discrimination against all AAPI homebuyers. America has an unfortunate history of actions targeting the AAPI community’s ability to own land; it’s a history we should learn from and seek to not repeat. Protecting the rights of individuals simply attempting to achieve the American Dream should be a bipartisan priority. Florida should repeal this law and Congress should explore actions to ensure the rights of all are fairly protected.” How Florida Land Law Has Affected Buyers and Real Estate Agents According to NBC News , three months after Florida banned many Chinese citizens from owning property, some real estate agents say they are losing business as families across the state are walking away from deals, while some brokers say they feel forced to racially profile people and turn down business. Longtime Florida resident Kristen Zhang was thrilled when last year her parents in China decided to buy a new house nearby, built from the ground up, in Orlando. After being separated during the pandemic, they’d finally be able to spend time with their grandkids. But in May Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bipartisan law, SB 264, banning certain Chinese nationals from buying property in the state to counter “the malign influence of the Chinese Communist Party in the state of Florida.” Zhang’s parents had to abandon their plans this summer, finally canceling the contract last month.A group of Chinese immigrants, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups, have been pushing to invalidate the new law. The Justice Department backed their effort in a filing this summer, saying the measure is unconstitutional, but a judge ruled against the challenge in August, teeing up an appeal. Chinese buyers and Florida real estate agents say the law is ambiguous and has introduced confusion and a growing risk of discrimination. Sellers who knowingly violate the restrictions could face up to one year in prison and $1,000 in fines, and Chinese nationals who buy property in Florida face even higher potential fines and up to five years in prison. Frank Lin , a veteran Florida real estate agent who works mainly with Chinese buyers in both the United States and overseas, said his business has already been cut in half as he turns down clients and tries to comply with the law. In addition to limits on new homebuyers, Chinese nationals who already own property in Florida are required by the new law to register with the state’s Commerce Department, “but they don’t even have a form yet or place or website, so that’s confused everyone,” Lin said. Failure to register by 2024 could trigger fines of up to $1,000 a day. Many in the Asian American community argue that the Florida law resembles xenophobic “alien land laws” of the early 20th century that were later deemed unconstitutional. Enacted in the decades following the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, the measures — passed in places from California to Texas and Wyoming — were tailored to keep Asian immigrants in particular from owning land. Florida didn’t repeal its own version, from 1926, until 2018, a decade after an earlier attempt failed. The state’s new restrictions cover both commercial and residential property. They apply to Chinese nationals who aren’t U.S. citizens or permanent residents and already have primary homes in China. The law also restricts buyers from a handful of other “foreign countries of concern,” including Cuba and Venezuela, but doesn’t outright ban them. The penalties for both buyers and sellers from those two countries are lower: 60 days in prison and a $500 fine.Some Florida real estate agents say the law compels them to vet potential clients in unrealistic and uncomfortable ways.“If somebody comes in and is Asian-looking, you’re automatically going to start asking questions about where you’re from, which never used to happen,” said Khalid Muneer , founder of Jupiter Properties in Central Florida and president of the Greater Orlando chapter of the Asian American Realtors Association. “Is this racism? Is this stereotyping? We are very well aware of the fact that we can have issues. We can be accused of discrimination,” Muneer said. Some of his associates with heavily Chinese or Venezuelan clienteles have seen a “major, major drop in business,” he said. "Are we supposed to be FBI agents investigating people and asking them all kinds of questions?” Florida received 23% of all foreign buyers nationwide, a higher share than any other state, according to the National Association of Realtors. And five percent of Florida’s closed sales were to foreign buyers, according to a separate report from Florida Realtors. However, the bulk of Florida’s foreign buyers are Latin American, at 46%, and Canadian, at 24%. Among Chinese buyers, California is the most popular destination, drawing 33% of Chinese buyers to Florida’s 16%. After losing their case in August, the group of Chinese immigrants, backed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil rights groups, that had sued to block the law filed an appeal, arguing that the measure uses “obvious proxies” to discriminate. “The law is upending peoples’ lives,” said Patrick Toomey , deputy director of the ACLU National Security Project, “and making it far more challenging for immigrants to prosper economically in the state.”Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/492fdIM 1. Arkansas orders Chinese company’s subsidiary to divest itself of agricultural land According to AP , Arkansas ordered the subsidiary of a Chinese-owned company to divest itself of 160 acres of agricultural land, the first such action under a wave of new laws across the country restricting foreign ownership of farmland. Attorney General Tim Griffin said Northrup King Seed Co. has two years to divest the property in Craighead County under legislation passed by the majority-Republican Legislature and signed by GOP Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year. Northrup is a subsidiary of Syngenta Seeds, which is owned by China National Chemical Company, or ChemChina, a Chinese state-owned company. Syngenta said it was disappointed in the state’s decision about its land, which the company has owned since 1988. The company said no one from China has ever directed its executives to buy, lease or otherwise engage in land acquisition. “Our people in Arkansas are Americans led by Americans who care deeply about serving Arkansas farmers. This action hurts Arkansas farmers more than anyone else,” the company said. Concern has been growing in many states about foreign ownership of farmland. Prior to this year, 14 states had laws prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership and investments in private farmland. But that ballooned to 24 states this year as lawmakers in nearly three-quarters of states considered legislation on the topic, according to The National Agriculture Law Center at the University of Arkansas. The enforcement action by Arkansas’ attorney general is the first under the wave of new laws, many of which specifically targeted investments from China, Iran, North Korea and Russia, said Micah Brown , a staff attorney at the agricultural law center.Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/3FoQsJ1 2. What foreign interests control Nebraska farmland? According to Farm Progress on October 18, 2023, about 1.6% of Nebraska land is controlled by foreign interests. Canada is the largest foreign holder of land in the state. China is far down the list of known entities with only 19 acres in the name of Syngenta, owned by ChemChina, in Hamilton County.On the U.S. national foreign investor list, China is 18th with 194,772 acres. Canada tops the national list with over 9.6 million acres, followed by the Netherlands with 4.377 million acres and Italy with 2.609 million acres — with the United Kingdom and Portugal rounding out the top five.Read the Farm Progress report: https://bit.ly/45HF4T6 3. Texas SB51/HB124 and Latest Tracking Map and Bills Although the 2023 Texas legislative session ended on May 29, Governor Greg Abbott has called three special sessions and the third is still ongoing. On October 9, 2023, Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst introduced Senate Bill (SB) 51; a companion House Bill (HB) 124 sponsored by State Rep. Steve Toth was introduced two days later on October 11. SB51 is a reincarnation of SB147 which failed to become law in this year's legislative session. According to Advancing Justice | AAJC, the state laws may be further categorized into Agricultural Land (AL), Critical Infrastructure (CI), Real Property (RP), or a combination. APA Justice tracks the alien land laws with a map and a list of all known state bills and laws at https://bit.ly/43oJ0YI . Nebraska Governor Dismisses Reporter as Being "from Communist China" According to NBC News on October 18, 2023, a reporter of Chinese descent is speaking out, weeks after Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen dismissed her article on his company, Pillen Family Farms, because “the author is from Communist China.” Yanqi Xu, 27, who is an immigrant from China and reports for the independent outlet Flatwater Free Press , told NBC News that Pillen's comments were a form of “bias.” Pillen, a Republican, had made the remarks on Omaha radio station KFAB in September, after he was asked to respond to her article that found high levels of nitrate on his hog farms. “Number 1, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen said on the air about Xu’s article. “Number 2, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from Communist China. What more do you need to know?” With Xu’s blessing and after consulting with immigration lawyers to ensure her visa status wouldn’t be compromised — Matt Wynn , executive director of the Nebraska Journalism Trust, which launched the Flatwater Free Press , published a column in her defense. “Yanqi has been in the United States since 2017 … This, she said, is the first time anyone has written her off based on her origin. And it was broadcast, over the air, by the governor of Nebraska,” Wynn wrote. “As an employer, that infuriates me. As a believer in democracy and a free press, it saddens me. As a Nebraskan, it embarrasses me.” “I think it’s important to speak up and it can be really, really hard at first because in some ways, it made you the center of the story,” Xu said. “Especially as a woman of color, if the other person who made such a comment about you is the most powerful person in the state, how do you respond? But I think for me, I found myself coming back to this point of: If I don’t do it, who would? ... I think it’s also super important for other Chinese Americans or other Chinese immigrants to understand that our newsroom thinks it’s not right for the governor to say something like this.”“The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) stands with Yanqi Xu, the Flatwater Free Press journalist who was the target of remarks that attempted to dismiss her reporting because of her country of origin,” the AAJA said in a statement. “Having an independent and diverse press corps is essential to democracy, and Xu, an investigative reporter who grew up in China, deserves to do her job without being judged because of her nationality.”Rep. Judy Chu , chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, condemned Pillen, describing his remarks as a "baseless xenophobic attack." She called on him to apologize to Xu and her outlet. "Failing to do so only contributes to more hostility and suspicion of people from China and Asian Americans broadly,” Chu said. Read the NBC News report: https://nbcnews.to/3Ql8wtY According to AP on October 19, 2023, tweets have flooded in, offering Xu support as the column began to circulate, and she said she was “deeply, deeply moved.”Among those tweeting was Omaha Sen. Megan Hunt who called the governor’s remark “Racist and disgusting.” Omaha Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh retweeted the rebuke and chastised the governor in a phone interview.Asian Americans have increasingly been the target of racially motivated harassment and assaults in recent years, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic began, with many worrying that anti-Asian rhetoric linked to fraught relations between the U.S. and China could lead to more violence.With the pandemic raging, CNN reporter Natasha Chen went on the air to describe how a Florida beachgoer told her to get out of the country and that she was responsible because of her ethnicity.U.S. reporters also have been singled out. In 2020, Weijia Jiang of CBS News asked President Donald Trump a question about the pandemic. Trump said that “maybe that’s a question you should ask China. Don’t ask me. Ask China that question.” Jiang — who was born in Xiamen, China, and emigrated with her family to West Virginia when she was 2 — wondered why the president directed that remark to her. Trump said he would say it to “anyone who asks a nasty question.” Naomi Tacuyan Underwood , executive director of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), described what happened to Xu in an interview as another example of how “people always resort to the perpetual foreigner trope and question our loyalties.” AAJA issued a statement that it stands with Flatwater Free Press journalist Yanqi Xu, who was the target of comments about her nationality .Read the AP report: https://bit.ly/45AwllL 1. ‘My comments were my comments’: Gov. Pillen responds to criticism of ‘outright racist’ remarks According to Nebraska Examiner , Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen on October 20 addressed for the first time national criticism he has faced after dismissing a Chinese reporter’s work because of her nationality. During his appearance with KFAB, Pillen said Nebraska is the “most welcoming” state in the nation. National and local groups have since said that notion is undermined by Pillen’s remarks. “The opportunity is still there for an apology,” Matt Wynn, executive director of the Nebraska Journalism Trust, said. “I think it is the right and decent thing to do.” Read the Nebraska Examiner report: https://bit.ly/3FoIKyq 2. Conservative group smears a Chinese immigrant running for office According to Northwest Asian Weekly , an email implying that a candidate for the Newcastle City Council is a “member of the Chinese Communist Party” was denounced by civil rights groups as drawing upon a history of anti-Asian and anti-immigrant rhetoric and violence. It was considered particularly incendiary since anti-Asian hate speech has preceded and spilled over into violence against Asians and Asian Americans during the pandemic. Newcastle is 53% populated by residents of color and 34% by Asians. “A racist, red-baiting, anti-immigrant, anti-Chinese email was recently sent out by a group calling themselves the Newcastle Watchdogs. In it, these ‘watchdogs’ attack Sun Burford , candidate for Newcastle City Council, using innuendo, insinuation, and libelous statements to demean and discredit her in the eyes of Newcastle voters,” said Stanley N. Shikuma , co-president of the Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter. “They would have us believe that she is part of some sinister Chinese plot to infiltrate the Newcastle City Council. They play upon her status as an immigrant, her ethnicity, and current rivalries with China to appeal to old prejudices and stir up new fears.”Newcastle Watchdogs, a conservative organization co-founded by a former Newcastle city councilmember, branded Burford a Chinese Communist sleeper agent—because she held a city planning job in China three decades ago before immigrating to the United States, a position she disclosed in her city planning application.OCA–Asian Pacific American Advocates—Greater Seattle Chapter repudiated the smear. “For centuries, Asian American Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders have been labeled as ‘perpetual foreigners,’ and accused of dual loyalty to their ancestral country and United States—often used as a scare tactic against our community,” said Connie So , president. “The language that our leaders use is important. Following this week’s report of anti-China language being used in a local election, we demand that all candidates refrain from using harmful rhetoric that is based on an individuals’ race as a political tactic. Elections should be about issues, not unfounded personal attacks. Period.”Read the Northwest Asian Weekly report: https://bit.ly/49eOkS3 NIH Director Hearing and Draft Scientific Integrity Policy for Public Comment According to Nature , the Senate hearing on the nomination of Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) highlighted the politicization of science in the wake of the COVID pandemic. The nominee, Monica Bertagnolli, hinted during the hearing what her priorities will be for the biomedical agency if she is confirmed. At the top of the list is improving the diversity of clinical-trial participants, enhancing collaboration among the NIH’s 27 institutes and centers, and restoring public trust in scientists and the agency. The 2-hour confirmation hearing on October 18, 2023, comes nearly two years after the NIH’s former director, geneticist Francis Collins, stepped down following more than 12 years in the top role. (Lawrence Tabak has been serving as acting director in the interim.) In May 2023, President Joe Biden nominated Bertagnolli, who is the current head of the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), to lead the NIH. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the NIH typically saw yearly budget increases and enjoyed bipartisan support for its mission. The hearing made clear how politically charged the agency’s research portfolio has become since then, underscoring challenges that Bertagnolli might face as director of the sprawling agency, which is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world, with an annual budget of about US$47 billion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, after some Republican lawmakers made unsubstantiated claims that the NIH’s funding of coronavirus research in China could have played a part in causing the worldwide crisis. Their colleagues in the US House of Representatives have been holding hearings about the origins of the virus that have scrutinized Collins and the former head of the NIH’s infectious-diseases branch, Anthony Fauci .On March 23, 2023, Science published " Pall of Suspicion ," detailing NIH’s “China Initiative” led by Michael Lauer that has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers.The committee will meet again on Wednesday, October 25, to decide whether to advance Bertagnolli’s nomination to a full Senate vote. The full Senate is expected to vote on the nomination before the end of the year. Read the Nature report: https://go.nature.com/46CZT3p . Watch the hearing and read Dr. Bertagnolli's written testimony at: https://bit.ly/48WSbTE NIH Draft Scientific Integrity Policy for Public Comment NIH has developed a DRAFT Scientific Integrity Policy, and seeks information regarding the draft policy from all interested individuals and communities, including, but not limited to, investigators, research institutions, libraries, scientific societies, healthcare providers, patients, students, educators, research participants, and other members of the public. While comments are welcome on all elements of the DRAFT NIH Scientific Integrity Policy, input would be most welcome on the specific items identified below, as they represent additions to existing NIH scientific integrity practices: · Role and Responsibilities of the NIH Scientific Integrity Officer (SIO) · Role and Responsibilities of the NIH Chief Scientist (CS) · Responsibilities of the NIH Scientific Integrity Council · Prohibitions against Political Interference Read the DRAFT NIH Scientific Integrity Policy: https://bit.ly/403HvOZ . Read the Federal Register notice for additional information: https://bit.ly/3Q4fKkF . Send your comments to NIH here: https://bit.ly/3Qtdo0b News and Activities for the Communities APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2023/10/25-26 President's Advisory Commission Meeting 2023/10/25 Senate Hearing on Nomination of NIH Director 2023/10/29 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting 2023/11/05 Rep. Gene Wu's Weekly Town Hall Meeting 2023/11/06 APA Justice November 2023 Monthly Meeting 2023/11/11 ACP 2023 MetroCon Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. Back View PDF October 23, 2023 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 - #17 "China Initiative" Webinar Opens; "Black Eye" Of DOJ; Who Is Sirous Asgari; WeChat #17 "China Initiative" Webinar Opens; "Black Eye" Of DOJ; Who Is Sirous Asgari; WeChat Back View PDF September 25, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #313 Amb. Gary Locke; 3/4 Webinar; FL SB 846 Injunction; NIH Turmoil/Fed Data Integrity; + #313 Amb. Gary Locke; 3/4 Webinar; FL SB 846 Injunction; NIH Turmoil/Fed Data Integrity; + In This Issue #313 · Remarks by Ambassador/Secretary/Governor Gary Locke · NFHA Updates; 03/04 Webinar on Alien Land Laws Opens · Temporary Injunction Against Florida Discriminatory Law SB846 · NIH in Turmoil; Federal Data Integrity Threatened · News and Activities for the Communities Remarks by Ambassador/Secretary/Governor Gary Locke Gary Locke 骆家辉 is Chair of the Committee of 100, former U/S. Ambassador to China, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and former Governor of the state of Washington. During the APA Justice monthly meeting on February 3, 2025, Ambassador/Secretary/Governor Locke expresses deep concern over the increasing challenges faced by the Asian American community, particularly Chinese Americans, under the current political climate. The worsening U.S.-China relationship has fueled harmful rhetoric, reminiscent of the first Trump administration, with terms like "Wuhan virus" and "Kung flu" leading to a surge in anti-Asian violence. While the U.S. may have legitimate policy disputes with China, Gary emphasizes that such conflicts should not extend to Chinese Americans, who have made significant contributions to the nation for centuries. From building the transcontinental railroad to serving in the military, Chinese Americans have long played an integral role in shaping the country.Despite these contributions, Chinese Americans continue to be treated as perpetual foreigners and unfairly associated with the Chinese government. The Trump administration’s “China Initiative,” which targeted Chinese American scientists under the guise of national security concerns, reinforced harmful stereotypes and subjected many to wrongful prosecution. Although the Biden administration sought to focus on restricting high-tech exports to China for security reasons, Trump’s recent policies suggest a return to broad anti-China rhetoric that unfairly affects Chinese Americans. This includes policies such as banning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs, suspending foreign aid, and halting humanitarian relief efforts.Economic policies under Trump are also raising concerns, particularly the reintroduction of tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China. While Trump claims these tariffs will hold foreign governments accountable, in reality, they function as a tax on American businesses and consumers. Companies like Costco, Target, and Macy’s are forced to absorb these costs, which are then passed on to everyday Americans. Gary highlights that nearly 60% of all shoes sold in the U.S. are imported from China, meaning the financial burden of tariffs disproportionately affects consumers and small businesses. The uncertainty surrounding these economic policies only adds to the challenges faced by Asian American communities. In addition to economic pressures, there is a troubling resurgence of discriminatory policies at the state level. Many states are now passing laws restricting land ownership by Chinese nationals, a clear throwback to the alien land laws of the early 20th century, which were designed to prevent Asian immigrants from owning property. Coupled with new restrictions on immigration, these policies evoke the era of the Chinese Exclusion Act, reinforcing systemic barriers against Chinese Americans. Gary warns that such actions represent a dangerous regression in civil rights, undermining decades of progress toward equality and inclusion.Given these mounting challenges, Gary calls for stronger, more explicit support from government leaders. Elected officials, from governors to members of Congress, must send a clear message that policy disagreements with China do not justify discrimination against Chinese Americans. The community should not have to bear the consequences of geopolitical conflicts between the U.S. and China. Gary stresses that public figures must actively reject xenophobic narratives and affirm the invaluable contributions of Asian Americans across all sectors of society.To combat these growing threats, Gary urges increased vigilance, organization, and collaboration among advocacy groups. Despite past achievements, the fight for equality is far from over, and Asian Americans cannot afford complacency. Gary commends APA Justice for its efforts in documenting and addressing these injustices, emphasizing the need for a unified, strategic approach to advocacy. Without coordination and collective action, the Asian American community risks being marginalized and targeted once again. By working together, organizations can strengthen their influence and ensure that the rights and dignity of Asian Americans are protected. A summary of the February 2025 APA Justice monthly meeting is being prepared at this time. For past monthly meeting summaries, visit https://bit.ly/4hyOV4i NFHA Updates; 03/04 Webinar on Alien Land Laws Opens During the APA Justice monthly meeting on February 3, 2025, Scott Chang , Senior Counsel of National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA), provided an update on the lawsuit National Fair Housing Alliance, Inc. v. Secretary of Commerce (1:24-cv-21749) , which challenges Florida’s SB 264, a law restricting property ownership by individuals from China and six other countries. Filed in May 2024, the lawsuit alleges that SB 264 violates the Fair Housing Act by discriminating on the basis of national origin. Unlike Shen v. Simpson, which focuses on constitutional arguments, this lawsuit emphasizes how SB 264 disproportionately affects individuals from targeted countries and was enacted with discriminatory intent, as evidenced by Governor DeSantis’s statements.NFHA filed the lawsuit in the Southern District of Florida. It was joined by the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA), two Florida-based fair housing organizations, and an Asian American-owned real estate company. The plaintiffs are represented by civil rights law firms and advocacy groups, including the Asian American Justice Center. Florida officials initially sought to transfer the case to the Northern District, where Shen v. Simpson is being heard, but the judge denied the request. However, the case has been stayed pending the Eleventh Circuit’s decision in Shen v. Simpson.Scott highlighted the broader implications of SB 264, emphasizing that such restrictive land ownership laws reflect a troubling trend of targeting immigrant communities, particularly those of Asian descent. The lawsuit aims to set a legal precedent to prevent similar discriminatory policies from undermining fair housing protections across the United States.Civil rights groups are closely monitoring similar legislative efforts in other states, assessing potential legal challenges. Scott reiterated the importance of holding lawmakers accountable for policies that perpetuate discrimination and reaffirmed the commitment of advocacy organizations to ensuring housing equity and protecting the rights of immigrant communities.On March 4, 2025, Scott will continue the discussion as a speaker at a webinar co-hosted by the Committee of 100 and APA Justice: WHAT: Fair Housing Rights & Alien Land Laws: Challenges and Advocacy for the Asian American Community WHEN: March 4, 2025, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm ET WHERE: Webinar HOST: Committee of 100 and APA Justice Opening Remarks: Cindy Tsai, Interim President, Committee of 100 Moderator: John D. Trasviña, Former Assistant Secretary of the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Panelists: · Hope Atuel , CEO/Executive Director, Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) · Scott Chang , Senior Counsel, The National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) Closing Remarks: Jeremy Wu, Founder and Co-Organizer, APA Justice DESCRIPTION: With new laws limiting property ownership based on nationality, real estate professionals and advocates are stepping up to challenge these discriminatory policies. This webinar will provide critical insights into how these restrictions are reshaping the housing landscape and what we can do to fight back. What you will learn: · Your Rights Under the Fair Housing Act – Understand the legal protections in place to combat discrimination. · How These Laws Affect Asian Homebuyers & Real Estate Professionals – Hear real-world impacts from industry experts. · Community & Legal Advocacy in Action – Learn how grassroots efforts and legal challenges are pushing back and how you can get involved. Stay ahead of these evolving legal challenges by exploring Committee of 100’s interactive map , which tracks ongoing land ownership exclusion laws, and APA Justice’s Alien Land Bills webpage , where you will find the latest updates on lawsuits and policy developments. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3EOqGke Temporary Injunction Against Florida Discriminatory Law SB846 On February 11, 2025, the Chinese American Legal Defense Alliance (CALDA) 华美维权同盟 announced that a federal magistrate judge in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida has issued a recommendation stating that SB 846 likely violates the U.S. Constitution and should be temporarily blocked. Florida SB 846 is a state law that restricts public universities and colleges from employing Chinese students, scholars, and researchers, citing national security concerns. SB846 fosters discrimination against Asian American communities, undermines academic freedom, and hampers scientific progress. This is a significant step forward in the lawsuit Yin v. Diaz (1:24-cv-21129) filed by CALDA, the ACLU, and Perkins Coie on behalf of Chinese students and a professor. The district judge will make the final decision in the coming weeks, and in most cases, such recommendations are upheld. The enforcement of SB 846 has already harmed Chinese students, some of whom lost research and teaching positions, had their projects canceled, or were forced to leave their programs. Asian Pacific American (APA) organizations led by the Asian American Scholar Forum, United Chinese Americans (UCA), Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, and APA Justice have been actively opposing Florida's SB 846 by making public statements and advocacy, supporting the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of SB846, organizing protests and rallies, and providing resources and explainers to inform the public and mobilizing community action and support. Local organizations such as the Florida Chinese Faculty Association, Graduate Assistants United, The United Faculty of Florida, and University of Florida's Student Senate are among many local groups that have been active and engaged. These concerted efforts strive to combat SB 846, protect the rights of Asian American communities, and promote equitable academic and professional environments.Read the CALDA announcement in Chinese: https://bit.ly/40UZ0l9 . Read the recommendation Order: https://bit.ly/42UDArg. Attorney Clay Zhu 朱可亮律师 , Co-Founder of CALDA, will give an update at the APA Justice monthly meeting on March 3, 2025. NIH in Turmoil; Federal Data Integrity Threatened As of February 16, 2025, the number of lawsuits against President Donald Trump's executive actions reported by the Just Security Litigation Tracker has grown to 74. Dr. Lawrence A. Tabak , the number 2 official as the Principal Deputy Director at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), abruptly resigned and retired on February 11, 2025. Dr. Michael Lauer , deputy director of the National Institutes of Health’s extramural research, announced his departure the next day,On February 10, 2025, twenty-two (22) state attorneys general filed a lawsuit, Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health (1:25-cv-10338) , against the Trump administration plan to limit how it pays universities and research institutes for “indirect costs” to 15%. According to NBC News , “ This agency action will result in layoffs, suspension of clinical trials, disruption of ongoing research programs, and laboratory closures,” the lawsuit says. “NIH’s extraordinary attempt to disrupt all existing and future grants not only poses an immediate threat to the nation’s research infrastructure, but will also have a long-lasting impact on its research capabilities and its ability to provide life-saving breakthroughs in scientific research.” On February 14, 2025, U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley , a U.S. district judge, granted the attorneys generals' request for a temporary restraining order, ordering the agencies not to take any steps to implement, apply or enforce the new policy. Judge Kelley set an in-person hearing for February 21.Two additional lawsuits have been filed at the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts against the NIH plan - Association of American Universities v. Department of Health & Human Services (1:25-cv-10346) and Association of American Medical Colleges v. National Institutes of Health (1:25-cv-10340) On January 30, 2025, U.S. Census Bureau Director Dr. Robert Santos announced his resignation mid-way through his five-year term. He was sworn in as the bureau’s 26th director, and its first Hispanic leader, in 2022. His last day was February 14, 2025. According to NPR on February 12, 2025, the Census Bureau removed access to key data following President Trump's executive order targeting gender identity, raising concerns over political interference and data censorship. The order, issued on January 20, led to a temporary shutdown of the bureau’s website and the removal of webpages related to research on gender identity and sexual orientation. Federal agencies, including the Census Bureau, were directed to eliminate materials promoting “gender ideology,” a term often used by opponents of transgender rights. This abrupt action disrupted public access to critical demographic data, hindered internal operations, and left employees unable to access essential platforms. Despite public outcry, the bureau has yet to provide an official explanation, fueling concerns about the integrity and independence of federal data collection.In response, over 230 organizations, led by the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics (COPAFS), the American Statistical Association, and the Population Association of America, issued a letter urging Congress to "demand the complete restoration of any federal data that have been removed" and work with the administration to "prevent any future purge or removal of data from federal agency websites and portals." Read the COPAFS letter on Protecting Public Access to Federal Data: https://bit.ly/41h0BTJ Advocates warn that suppressing data on gender identity effectively erases LGBTQ+ populations and undermines civil rights protections, including efforts to combat hate crimes. Experts argue that decades of research into measuring gender identity could be lost, reversing progress made in ensuring accurate representation in federal statistics. Lawmakers, including Democratic Representatives Mark Takano , Jamie Raskin , and Gerry Connolly , have called for an immediate halt to the executive order’s implementation, emphasizing the importance of recognizing transgender individuals in government data. Researchers and librarians have begun independent efforts to preserve the missing data, but concerns remain that the government’s actions set a dangerous precedent for political interference in public information. Experts also warn that the outright deletion of government records could have legal ramifications, as the destruction of certain federal data may constitute a criminal offense. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/02/18 Protecting Our Organizations: 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Compliance Virtual Training2025/02/23 World Premier of "Quixotic Professor Qiu" with Xiaoxing Xi2025/03/02 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/03/04 Fair Housing Rights & Alien Land Laws: Challenges and Advocacy for the Asian American Community2025/03/12 MSU Webinar on China Initiative2025/03/16 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/03/30 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2025/04/07 APA Justice Monthly MeetingVisit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. Lunar New Year Celebrations in San Francisco San Francisco’s Chinese New Year parade drew massive crowds on February 15, 2025, reinforcing its status as a premier celebration in the Bay Area Asian community, according to AsAmNews , KTVU-2 , San Francisco Standard , and multiple media reports. Acclaimed Chinese American actress and longtime San Francisco resident Joan Chen served as grand marshal, kicking off the festivities at sunset by lighting firecrackers at Union Square. The parade featured nearly 100 floats and performance groups, including an enormous dragon carried by approximately 110 people, not including side support.Newly elected Mayor Daniel Lurie participated as honorary grand marshal, and the parade stretched roughly one mile. "Welcome to the best Lunar New Year parade outside of Asia," declared San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu . "The oldest, most historic, and most amazing Chinatown in the United States is right here in San Francisco!" # # # 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 February 17, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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June 7, 2019 A fallout from racial profiling Chinese American scientists is the loss of talent by the U.S. in an increasingly competitive world for talents. A June 7, 2019 Asian Times article provides ample current and past examples and a succinct summary of how " US will regret persecuting Chinese scientists . " Racial profiling harms the long-term interests of America by forcing talented and renowned scientists, many of them naturalized U.S. citizens, out of the country into the welcoming arms of China. Ironically, profiling those in China's talent recruitment programs actually facilitates China’s recruitment. Stigmatizing all students from China, which exceeded 350,000 at US universities in 2017, as potential spies for China will not enhance but harm the pipeline of American research and innovation. This May 29 essay titled " My Science Has No Nationality " by a young Chinese American female physicist describes the plight of many of today's Chinese American scientists. 2019/07/15 Inside Higher Ed: Attacking Chinese on Our Campuses Only Hurts America Examples of America's Lost Talents Dr. Xin Zhao , a prize-winning applied physicist from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, had to relocate his startup venture to commercialize some of the school’s patented nanotechnology from the U.S. to China after a federal investigation that included a failed sting, airport stops and an unfounded child-porn search. Dr. Chunzai Wang , a U.S. citizen and one of the foremost experts on ocean-atmosphere interaction, climate change, and hurricanes in the world, is now a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in China. He was a research oceanographer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He received the NOAA Research Scientist of the Year award in 2012 and 2013. Dr. Xifeng Wu , a U.S. citizen, is now Dean of School of Public Health, Vice President for the Second Affiliated Hospital and the Director for National Institute of Health Big Data, Zhejiang University in China. She was Director, Center for Public Health and Translational Genomics and Professor, Department of Epidemiology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in January 2019. Dr. Xiaorong Wang is now a Distinguished Professor of School of Chemical Science and Engineering and of Institute for Advanced Study at Tongji University at Shanghai, China. He was a project and group leader at Bridgestone Americas Center for Research and Technology and received the Bridgestone/Firestone CEO Award for distinguished research. Dr. Xuesen Qian (1911-2009) is known as the founder of engineering cybernetics and father of the space program for China. He was a co-founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the U.S. During the Second Red Scare in the 1950s, the U.S. government accused him of communist sympathies. After spending five years under house arrest, he was released in 1955 and deported to China. The head of the US Navy at the time was quoted as saying that Qian’s deportation was "the stupidest thing this country ever did. He was no more a communist than I was and we forced him to go.” Latest from BBC: Qian Xuesen: The scientist deported from the US who helped China into space Previous Next America Loses Talent by Racial Profiling

The APA Justice Task Force submitted a statement for a briefing with Senator Mark Warner and his staff on August 6, 2020. August 6, 2020 The APA Justice Task Force submitted the following statement for a briefing with Senator Mark Warner and his staff on August 6, 2020. updateonracialprofilingmarkwarner_20200805 .pdf Download PDF • 513KB The APA Justice Task Force submitted a statement for a briefing with Senator Mark Warner and his staff on August 6, 2020. Previous Next Briefing with Senator Mark Warner

A group of 177 Stanford University faculty members sent an open letter to US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, requesting that he terminate the China Initiative. The campaign became national and continued until the end of the China Initiative. More than 3,100 faculty, researchers, and scientists representing over 230 institutions from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico co-signed the letters. September 8, 2021 Table of Contents Overview The Winds of Freedom Website APA Justice Launched Parallel Campaign Final Tally of the National Campaign Links and References Overview On September 8, 2021, a group of 177 Stanford University faculty members from more than 40 departments, including 8 Nobel laureates, sent an open letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, requesting that he terminate the Department of Justice's "China Initiative." Three key flaws of the "China Initiative" were identified: The "China Initiative" disproportionally targets researchers of Chinese origin. In most of the "China Initiative" cases involving academics, the alleged crime has nothing to do with scientific espionage or intellectual property theft. The "China Initiative" is harming the U.S. science and technology enterprise and the future of the U.S. STEM workforce. While acknowledging the importance to U.S. of protecting both intellectual property and information that is essential to our national and economic security, the faculty members express their concerns of racial profiling and the harm to the United States' research and technology competitiveness. The initiative has led to a significant increase of investigations and prosecutions to researchers in academia, with most cases unrelated to intellectual property theft or scientific/economic espionage. The investigations have been disproportionately targeting researchers of Chinese origin. According to the letter, the chilling effect of the "China Initiative" is discouraging many scholars from coming to or staying in the U.S. Therefore, the "China Initiative" should be terminated. The Winds of Freedom Website The Stanford faculty members created a website to host the open letter and provide background and other related information . The name "Winds of Freedom" for the website comes from the Stanford motto "Die Luft der Freiheit weht" ("The Winds of Freedom Blow"). The website provides instructions on further action and tracks continuing developments. In particular, a qualified endorser is encouraged to consider a letter from faculty at his/her institution to either endorse the Stanford letter or send a similar letter. A copy of the Stanford letter is provided, along with a Google form template and some instructions which could be used to collect signatories. A qualified endorser is defined as a person with the current or former rank of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, lecturer, scholar, or administrator, who has a valid and verifiable .edu email address at an accredited university or similar educational institution in the United States. Titles and associations are for identification only; endorsers do not represent the university or institution. Where judgment on the status of an endorser may be needed, final decision will be made by the organizers of the campaign. Faculty members at Baylor College of Medicine, Princeton University, Southern Illinois University Faculty Senate, Temple University, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at Irvine, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University would soon send their letters to Attorney General Garland. APA Justice Launched Parallel Campaign On October 14, 2021, APA Justice launched a campaign in collaboration with the Stanford co-organizers, calling for additional faculty members and qualified endorsers from universities and educational institutions across the U.S. to endorse the Stanford letter. Qualified endorsers might therefore join the campaign in two ways: Sign on to this nationwide campaign as individuals: https://bit.ly/EndorseStanfordLetter Follow the Instructions in the Winds of Freedom website on further action to endorse the Stanford letter as part of an institutional letter: https://bit.ly/38ZxKre On November 3, 2021, APA Justice submitted a letter to Attorney General (AG) Garland. It was co-signed by 841 faculty members, scholars, and administrators from 202 universities and educational institutions across all 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. The letter called for AG Garland to terminate the “China Initiative.” On November 24, 2021, APA Justice sent a letter to AG Garland and requested the inclusion of letters and comments from almost 2,000 faculty members, scholars, and administrators nationwide as part of the thorough review of the “China Initiative” being conducted by Assistant AG Matt Olsen. January 21, 2022, APA Justice sent a letter to AGl Garland , adding another 357 co-signers to the nationwide campaign. The parallel campaigns continued until the end of the China Initiative in February 2022. Final Tally of the National Campaign On March 3, 2022, the records showed that 3,119 faculty members from 231 institutions co-signed letters to AG Garland, calling for the termination of the China Initiative. They covered all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. In addition, 251 individuals endorsed the Stanford faculty letter to end the "China Initiative" at change.com . Jump to: Overview The Winds of Freedom Website APA Justice Launched Parallel Campaign Final Tally of the National Campaign A group of 177 Stanford University faculty members sent an open letter to US Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, requesting that he terminate the China Initiative. The campaign became national and continued until the end of the China Initiative. More than 3,100 faculty, researchers, and scientists representing over 230 institutions from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico co-signed the letters. Previous Next 9. Stanford Faculty Starts Nationwide Campaign to End China Initiative

Qing Wang 王擎 Docket ID: 1:20-mj-09111 District Court, N.D. Ohio Date filed: May 12, 2020 Date ended: July 20, 2021 Table of Contents Overview Deletion from DOJ China Initiative Online Report 2021/09/15 Washington Post Report Cleveland Clinic Foundation Held Accountable in 2024 Links and References Overview On May 14, 2020, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the arrest of Dr. Qing Wang as a former Cleveland Clinic employee and a Chinese “Thousand Talents” participant. The case was listed under the China Initiative. Dr. Wang was charged with false claims and wire fraud related to more than $3.6 million in grant funding that he and his research group received from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Cleveland Clinic fired Dr. Wang the same day he was arrested. Dr. Wang was born in China, began his work at the Cleveland Clinic in 1997 and became a U.S. citizen in 2005. He specialized in breakthroughs in heart disease at the Lerner Institute of the Cleveland Clinic—one of the world’s leading research centers. On July 15, 2021, DOJ moved to dismiss its case against Dr. Qing Wang. In a statement, the DOJ explained, "The United States Attorney’s Office moved to dismiss the complaint, without prejudice, against Qing Wang, a.k.a. Kenneth Wang. The Office has made this decision after a review of the case and will decline further comment at this time." The Cleveland Clinic also released a statement saying, “We have fully cooperated with federal law enforcement’s investigation into this matter. Dr. Wang’s employment was terminated following an internal review which revealed violations of Cleveland Clinic and National Institutes of Health (NIH) policies.” On July 20, 2021, U.S. Magistrate Judge William H. Baughman, Jr. ordered the dismissal of Dr. Wang’s case. After DOJ made the motion to dismiss Dr. Wang’s case, it proceeded to delete it from its online report on the China Initiative – a practice that was continued unannounced and without explanation for several months until November 2021 when APA Justice reported it to the Attorney General and MIT Technology Review began to build a database on the online report. On September 15, 2021, the Washington Post published an interview with Dr. Wang, who later restarted his research career at China’s Huazhong University of Science and Technology. On June 21, 2024, Science reported that DOJ reached a settlement with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF), requiring CCF to pay $7.6 million to resolve allegations of mismanagement involving three NIH grants. This settlement sends a clear message that research institutions will be held accountable for failing to adequately monitor outside support provided to their faculty. Defense attorney for Dr. Wang maintained that his client had followed the rules and voluntarily disclosed his Chinese support. “He told them everything—both NIH and CCF.” The CCF settlement, he added, simply confirmed Dr. Wang’s innocence. Deletion from DOJ China Initiative Online Report The Department of Justice (DOJ) maintained an online report on China Initiative cases since the initiative's launch in November 2018, including Dr. Qing Wang's case. However, after the DOJ moved to dismiss Dr. Wang’s case, DOJ deleted his case from the online report. This unannounced practice of removing dismissed or acquitted cases continued for several months without explanation. On November 24, 2021, APA Justice reported the removal of about 20 cases from its online China Initiative report to Attorney General Merrick Garland. MIT Technology Review brought this practice to light with a published investigative report on December 2, 2021. DOJ ceased to update its online report on November 19, 2021. The end of the China Initiative was formally announced on February 23, 2022. 2021/09/15 Washington Post Report According to the Washington Post on September 15, 2021, in the weeks leading up to his arrest, Dr. Qing Wang was interviewed by the Cleveland Clinic and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) about his grants. He got no indication he was under criminal suspicion. “I was shocked,” he said about his early morning arrest in May 2020. “At that moment,” he said, “I felt that my life was over.” Dr. Wang was the lead investigator on a research project on the genetics of cardiovascular disease, funded by more than $3.6 million in NIH grants. He allegedly neglected to disclose to NIH that even as he was a professor at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner College of Medicine, he was a beneficiary of the Thousand Talents Program, through which the Chinese government recruits academics in the West whose expertise might benefit Beijing. In an affidavit , FBI agent John Matthews alleged that through the program, Dr. Wang was made dean of the College of Life Sciences at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The agent said Wang concealed receiving Chinese government grants totaling $480,000 for research that overlapped with his U.S.-funded work. In particular, Matthews alleged, citing NIH information, “the families used in both studies were mostly the same.” Dr. Wang’s lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, disputed the allegations, saying Wang disclosed his research in China as part of the NIH application and did not use American families for the Chinese study. Dr. Wang also disclosed to the Cleveland Clinic that he was affiliated with the talent program, said Zeidenberg, a former federal prosecutor and a partner at Arent Fox in Washington. “Ultimately this came down to whether the grant forms were filled out correctly,” Zeidenberg said. “The information was all there. It just wasn’t where the NIH was looking.” Over 34 years of research in the United States, including 21 at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Wang led a team that discovered the first gene for Brugada syndrome, a disorder causing irregular heart rhythm, which can be fatal — especially in young people. He wanted to stay in the United States because it “has the best environment for science in this area,” and because he thought he would have the most impact in a country where heart disease is the leading cause of death. The arrest terrified Dr. Wang, his wife, Qiuyun Chen, and their two daughters. “We worked so hard day and night just trying to understand how to prevent human disease,” said Chen, who also came to the United States in 1986 to study and was a member of Dr. Wang’s Cleveland Clinic research team. “And you never think this would be criminal.” Cleveland Clinic Foundation Held Accountable in 2024 According to a report by Science on June 21, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has signaled that research institutions will be held accountable for oversight failures. In a settlement reached on May 17, 2024, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) agreed to pay $7.6 million to resolve allegations of mismanaging three National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants. As part of the settlement, a senior CCF administrator must personally attest to the accuracy of all NIH submissions, a significant responsibility. The case began in 2018 when NIH investigated CCF cardiovascular geneticist Dr. Qing Wang, based on an FBI list of scientists allegedly receiving Chinese funding. Following a CCF investigation, NIH suspended Dr. Wang’s $2.8 million grant in April 2020, and CCF terminated his employment. Dr. Wang was arrested in May 2020 under the China Initiative but was later cleared when the DOJ dropped the charges in July 2021 without explanation. Dr. Wang’s lawyer maintained that Dr. Wang had disclosed all necessary information to NIH and CCF, asserting his client's innocence. The CCF settlement follows earlier civil settlements with the Van Andel Institute, where scientists were not criminally charged, amounting to $6.6 million in 2019 and 2021. Previous Item Next Item

Xiaoxing Xi 郗小星 Docket ID: 2:17-cv-02132 District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania Date filed: May 10, 2017 Date ended: Professor Xi Files Appeal to Reinstate Damage Claims Against FBI 2023/06/08 TechDirt: Appeals Court Awards Half A Win To Professor Wrongfully Arrested For Sharing ‘Secret’ Tech With Chinese Entities 2023/05/26 星島日報: 任職天普被誣指中國間諜 華裔教授郗小星獲准告FBI 2023/05/25 NBC News: After being wrongfully accused of spying for China, professor wins appeal to sue the government 2023/05/24 ACLU: ACLU Applauds Court For Allowing Case Challenging FBI’s Wrongful Prosecution of Chinese American Physics Professor To Move Forward Bloomberg Law: Temple Professor’s Claims Revived Over Wrongful Spying Arrest 2022/09/21 Inside Higher Ed: After the China Initiative: Seeking Accountability 2022/09/20 NBC News: A professor falsely accused of spying for China describes the toll it's taken on his family 2022/09/16 Temple News: Temple physics professor defends lawsuit against FBI agent 2022/09/15 Courthouse News Service: Appeals court weighs case over China-born physicist’s wrongful espionage charges 2022/09/14 Oral arguments: https://bit.ly/3dbBD29 (audio 57:09) WHYY: Temple professor continues long legal journey to sue FBI for wrongful prosecution Philadelphia Inquirer: Temple professor falsely accused of spying for China urges court to revive his suit against the FBI Advancing Justice | AAJC: Professor Xiaoxing Xi, Civil Rights Advocates Argue for Freedom from Government Discrimination and Surveillance in Third Circuit Court Asian American Scholar Forum: Asian American Scholar Forum Calls for Justice for Dr. Xiaoxing Xi Ahead of Third Circuit Oral Arguments AsAmNews: Professor accused of spying for China asks court to revisit suit against FBI 2022/02/20 The Daily Campus: SMU AAPASA Denounces FBI’s Racial Targeting of Asian Academics 2022/02/17 AAUP: The AAUP Joins Movement Seeking Justice For Professor Xiaoxing Xi 2022/02/15 Defending Rights & Dissent: DRAD joins amicus brief in Xi v. Haugen; calls on US government to stop discriminating against Asian Americans & immigrants 2022/02/14 American Physical Society: Brief of Amici Curiae American Physical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Statistical Association, American Geophysical Union, and Gerontological Society of America in Support of Appellants Advancing Justice | AAJC: Advancing Justice - AAJC and Advancing Justice - ALC Amicus Brief in Support of Professor Xiaoxing Xi 2022/02/11 Institute for Justice: Institute for Justice Amicus Brief in support of Professor Xiaoxing Xi 2022/02/10 The Davis Vanguard: Naturalized U.S. Citizen Files Appeal Following Dismissal of Claims Against U.S. Gov’t 2022/02/09 The Daily Pennsylvanian: Temple University Professor Xiaoxing Xi seeks reinstatement of lawsuit against FBI Temple News: Temple professor asks court to reinstate lawsuit against U.S. government 2022/02/07 AP: Temple prof seeks reinstatement of damage claims against FBI 2021/09/24 ACLU: Xi v. Haugen - Plaintiffs' Notice of Appeal 2021/04/02 ACLU: A Chinese American Scientist and His Family Are Battling the FBI’s Profiling in Court ACLU: Federal Court Dismisses Claims in Chinese American Professor’s Lawsuit Challenging FBI’s Baseless Arrest and Prosecution 2018/04/09 ACLU: Xi V. Haugen – Challenge to Warrentless Surveillance Previous Item Next Item

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