Newsletter - #239 3/4 Monthly Meeting; China Initiative; Anti-China Academic Panic; US-China STA; More #239 3/4 Monthly Meeting; China Initiative; Anti-China Academic Panic; US-China STA; More In This Issue #239 · 2024/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting · Second Anniversary of Termination of the China Initiative · "The Anti-China Academic Panic is Hurting America" · US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement · News and Activities for the Communities 2023/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting The next APA Justice monthly meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, March 4, 2024, starting at 1:55 pm ET. In addition to updates by Nisha Ramachandran , Executive Director, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC); Joanna YangQing Derman , Director, Advancing Justice | AAJC; and Gisela Perez Kusakawa , Executive Director, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF), invited and confirmed speakers are: · Arati Prabhakar (invited), Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), The White House · Cindy Tsai, Interim President and Executive Director, Committee of 100 · X. Edward Guo, President, Asian American Academy of Science and Engineering (AAASE); Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Department Chair, Columbia University The virtual monthly meeting is by invitation only. It is closed to the press. If you wish to join, either one time or for future meetings, please contact one of the co-organizers of APA Justice - Steven Pei 白先慎, Vincent Wang 王文奎, and Jeremy Wu 胡善庆 - or send a message to contact@apajustice.org . AAU Letter to OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar On February 14, 2024, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced the release of two memoranda aimed at supporting a secure and fair research ecosystem in the United States: 1. On Policy Regarding Use of Common Disclosure Forms , OSTP outlines guidelines on the use of common disclosure forms for federal agencies to use when evaluating proposals. These will help the government identify conflicts of commitment and potential duplication with the work of foreign governments. 2. On Guidelines for Federal Research Agencies Regarding Foreign Talent Recruitment Programs , the OSTP guidance provides a definition of foreign talent recruitment programs, guidelines for federal employees regarding foreign talent recruitment programs, and guidelines for individuals involved in malign foreign talent recruitment programs in federal projects. During the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology hearing on February 15, 2024, a letter from the Association of American Universities (AAU) to OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar was submitted for record. This is a link to the AAU letter: https://bit.ly/49qi2CV Second Anniversary of Termination of the China Initiative February 23, 2024, marks the second anniversary of the termination of the China Initiative. The Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement applauding the anniversary. Prior to the program’s termination, Members of the CAPAC met with Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials to express concerns about the program, including its use of racial profiling and the resulting harms it caused the Asian American community. CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu , First Vice-Chair Rep. Grace Meng , Whip Rep. Ted Lieu , and members Rep. Pramila Jayapal , Rep. Andy Kim , Rep. Jamie Raskin , and Rep. Linda Sánchez commented on the anniversary. Read the CAPAC statement: https://bit.ly/49p3DHl In a separate statement, the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) remarked that the termination of the China Initiative is "a critical step in the right direction to addressing serious concerns of racial profiling and discrimination against Asian American scholars, particularly those of Chinese descent. While a crucial step, we must remain vigilant and work to ensure the ‘China Initiative’ is not reinstated. AASF, along with coalition partners, had been at the forefront of successful advocacy efforts to end the ‘China Initiative’, ensuring that the Asian American scholar community had a seat at the table and lifting their voices. Most recently, AASF led with coalition partners of nearly 50 organizations in opposing a recent proposal to reinstate it in the House version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations bill, H.R.5893." Gisela Perez Kusakawa , AASF Executive Director, Dr. Yasheng Huang , AASF Founding President, and Dr. Kai Li , AASF Founding Vice President, commented in the statement. Read the AASF statement: https://bit.ly/49HsHJX "The Anti-China Academic Panic is Hurting America" In an opinion published by The Hill on February 16, 2024, Princeton University Professor Rory Truex highlights the case of a Chinese Ph.D. student with pseudonym " Meng Fei ," who faced detention and deportation upon returning to the U.S. Despite having valid visas and no ties to espionage, Meng and other Chinese students were subjected to suspicion and exclusion under policies like Trump-era Presidential Proclamation 10043. The author argues that such treatment mirrors authoritarian tactics and undermines America's competitiveness in science and technology.The now-defunct "China Initiative" aimed at combating intellectual property theft. "FBI field offices were instructed to go out and find cases of Chinese espionage on American campuses, and FBI Director Christopher Wray began touting the number of ongoing investigations. But these cases rarely produced evidence of actual espionage, instead centering around fraud, often when U.S.-based researchers failed to properly disclose affiliations with Chinese entities on federal grant forms," Professor Truex opined, "But fraud is not espionage. And after three years of unfettered investigations, the China Initiative only turned up a handful of cases of anyone actually stealing something on a university campus. The narrative that 'Chinese students and scientists are nefarious spies' was a bust." Yet, it perpetuated a harmful narrative of Chinese students and scientists as spies. While the initiative was rolled back due to pushback from the scientific community, there are efforts to revive it in Congress, as well as the enactment of a Florida law restricting collaboration with Chinese institutions. Professor Truex emphasizes the importance of Chinese students to the U.S. research enterprise, citing their significant contribution to doctoral degrees in science and engineering and their retention in the American workforce. He concludes by saying, "our national overreaction to the 'threat' of Chinese scientists should be considered one of the most inhumane and counterproductive policies of this new era of U.S.-China strategic competition. Unless we change the narrative and treat Chinese students and scientists with respect, America will simply be pushing them away, harming our own interests and accelerating China’s scientific development." Read Professor Truex's The Hill opinion: https://bit.ly/3SUPzhE US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement On February 27, 2024, after six month extension by the Biden Administration in August, the US-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) is set to expire. Nature has reported that while both sides would like to renew the agreement, it may once again delayed to settle new terms and conditions requested by both sides.On February 14, 2023, the US-China Perception Monitor conduced an interview with Dr. Denis Simon to discuss the past, the present, and the future of the STA. Dr. Simon is an American scholar who has studied and shaped the agreement since its initial signing. He talked about the agreement’s strengths, weaknesses, and impacts since 1979. Serving in roles such as Executive Vice Chancellor of Duke Kunshan University and Director of Penn State’s Program on U.S.-China Technology, Economic and Business Relations, Dr. Simon has both led and lived U.S.-China cooperation initiatives. He explains the possible actions the Biden administration can take and warns of their consequences otherwise.Read the US-China Perception Monitor report: https://bit.ly/49QPsL3 News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/02/27-28 President's Advisory Commission on AA and NHPIs Meeting and Solicitation for Oral and Written Comments2024/02/28 WHI: Community Engagement Event2024/02/28 Maryland Ways and Means Committee Hearing on HB 13632024/02/29 CAMDC Deadline for Essay Contest2024/03/03 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/03/04 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/03/24 Committee of Concerned Scientists Annual Meeting Visit https://bit.ly/45KGyga for event details. 2. Maryland Ways and Means Committee to Hold Hearing on HB 1363 On February 28, 2024, starting at 1 pm ET, the Ways and Means Committee of the Maryland State Assembly will hold a hearing on House Bill (HB) 1363 titled "Education - Public Schools - Asian American History Curriculum Requirement." According to LegiScan , this is a summary of HB 1363: "Requiring the State Board of Education to develop curriculum content standards for a unit of instruction on Asian American history in public schools in the State; requiring each county board of education to implement the Asian American history curriculum content standards in each public school in the county beginning in the 2025-2026 school year; and requiring each county superintendent of schools to ensure compliance with the Act." The bill is sponsored by Delegates Kriselda Valderrama and Chao Wu . Maryland residents may testify in person or via zoom, or submit written testimony. They must register to testify on Monday, February 26 between 8:00am and 6:00pm on the My MGA page. These are two helpful videos to help with the process: · How to Create and Use My MGA Account: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9jimPsqTVo (3:02) · How To: Submit Testimony to the Maryland General Assembly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nkqPS89F9X0 (3:13) Read more about Maryland's HB 1363: https://bit.ly/3OVa0tz . Learn more about the Maryland General Assembly: https://bit.ly/3TbWOTV 3. C100: Asian American Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast News WHAT : Asian American Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast News WHEN: March 25, 2024, 5:00 - 6:00 pm Eastern Time WHERE: Webinar HOST: Committee of 100 MODERATOR: Peter Young, Chair of the Initiative and C100 Member SPEAKER : Richard Lui, Journalist and News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News; C100 Member DESCRIPTION: This is the thirty-fourth Committee of 100 Asian American Career Ceilings Initiative webcast that will feature a fireside chat on the topic of “Career Ceiling Challenges in Broadcast News” featuring Richard Lui, Journalist and News Anchor, MSNBC and NBC News. REGISTRATION: https://bit.ly/3OXs7PP Back View PDF February 26, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #19 Facebook Streaming Link For 09/30 Webinar #19 Facebook Streaming Link For 09/30 Webinar Back View PDF September 30, 2020 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #96 Updates On Sherry Chen, Franklin Tao, Charles Lieber; Latest On Campaign; Events + #96 Updates On Sherry Chen, Franklin Tao, Charles Lieber; Latest On Campaign; Events + Back View PDF November 18, 2021 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

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Community Responses The AAPI community's responses to AAPI issues. Our watchlist contains all of the most pertinent issues and legislations to the Asian American community. Check it out Our Watchlist See Congress's statements and actions regarding AAPI issues. Explore Congressional Actions Campaign to Oppose The Nomination of Casey Arrowood Read More 11. MIT Technology Review Investigative Reports Read More 9. Stanford Faculty Starts Nationwide Campaign to End China Initiative Read More 6. Letter to President-Elect Biden to End China Initiative Read More ASBMB Protests Racially Motivated Cancellation of Research Grant Read More Top Scientific Organizations Call for Fairer Treatment of Foreign-born Scientists Read More

Timeline Back to China Initiative Prev Next Table of Contents Overview FBI Director’s Profiling Approach NIH’s Own “China Initiative” Criminalizing China The Ethnic Targeting of Chinese Scientists Links and References Overview On November 1, 2018, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Session announced the launch of the China Initiative to combat national security threats and economic espionage emanating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). “This Initiative will identify priority Chinese trade theft cases, ensure that we have enough resources dedicated to them, and make sure that we bring them to an appropriate conclusion quickly and effectively.” Sessions said. President Donald Trump fired Sessions less than a week later, but the China Initiative remained in operation for 1,210 days until it was ended by the Joe Biden Administration on February 23, 2022. The Department of Justice (DOJ) had no definition of what constitutes a China Initiative case. DOJ created an online report on what it considered to be Chinese Initiative cases. The online report was last updated on November 19, 2021, three months before the initiative officially ended. According to MIT Technology Review , there have been 77 known China Initiative cases impacting 162 individuals. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the cases, MIT Technology Review concluded that the initiative had increasingly charged academics with “research integrity” issues. Nearly 90% of the defendants charged were of Chinese heritage, lending credence to wide-spread allegations that scientists and researchers of Chinese origin were racially profiled and targeted under the China Initiative despite denials by the government. The DOJ China Initiative cases included only indictments and prosecutions. It did not include investigations or surveillance by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and other federal law enforcement agencies and grant agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIH ran its own China Initiative. By March 23, 2023, a year after the official end of the China Initiative, NIH’s own “China initiative” had upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers. In contrast to the very public criminal prosecutions of academic scientists under the China Initiative, NIH’s version was conducted behind closed doors. FBI Director’s Profiling Approach The first thunder of the New Red Scare came on February 13, 2018, when FBI Director Christopher Wray testified in a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing and targeted all students, scholars and scientists of Chinese origin as a national security threat to the United States. Wray responded to a question in the hearing, “I think in this setting I would just say that the use of nontraditional collectors, especially in the academic setting, whether it’s professors, scientists, students, we see in almost every field office that the FBI has around the country. It’s not just in major cities. It’s in small ones as well. It’s across basically every discipline.” Asian American advocates were outraged by Wray’s presumption that every Chinese professor, scientist, and student was guilty of collecting intelligence for the Chinese government until proven innocent. Conflating the stereotype of “perpetual foreigners” and the loyalty of Asian Americans to the United States, Wray pledged to pursue a “whole-of-society” approach to address the threat of China. His use of the term “non-traditional collectors” for spies parallelled “thousand grains of sand” during the prosecution of Dr. Wen Ho Lee and “fifth column” in referral to Japanese Americans during World War II. Qian Xuesen, also known as Hsue-shen Tsien, a founder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, became a victim of the Second Red Scare during the Cold War era, facing accusations of “communist sympathies” despite his contributions to American scientific advancement. Fourteen Asian American community organizations wrote to Wray on March 1, 2018, and called for “an opportunity to discuss how well-intentioned public policies might nonetheless lead to troubling issues of potential bias, racial profiling, and wrongful prosecution.” Wray never responded to the letter. References and Links Wikipedia: Qian Xuesen 2020/02/02 The Intercept: The FBI’s China Obsession - The U.S. Government Secretly Spied on Chinese American Scientists, Upending Lives and Paving the Way for Decades of Discrimination 2019/12/31 Bloomberg: As China Anxiety Rises in U.S., Fears of New Red Scare Emerge 2019/07/20 New York Times: A New Red Scare Is Reshaping Washington 2018/03/23 Huffington Post: FBI Director Defends Remarks That Chinese People In U.S. Pose Threats 2018/03/08 Washington Post Opinion: America’s new — and senseless — Red Scare 2018/03/01 14 Coalition Organizations: Coalition letter to FBI Director Wray 2018/03/01 Committee of 100: Community Organizations Call for Meeting with FBI Director Christopher Wray Regarding Profiling of Students, Scholars, and Scientists with Chinese Origins 2018/02/27 Asia Times: FBI director’s grave mistake on targeting Chinese-Americans 2018/02/16 纽约都市新闻网: 华裔议员严厉谴责Rubio和Wray针对中国学生的极端言论 2018/02/15 CAPAC: CAPAC Members on Rubio and Wray’s Remarks Singling Out Chinese Students as National Security Threats 2018/02/14 Inside Higher Ed: The Chinese Student Threat? 2018/02/13 Advancing Justice | AAJC: FBI Director’s Shock Claim: Chinese Students Are a Potential Threat 2018/02/13 U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence: Hearing on Global Threats and National Security 2016/05/25 60 Minutes: Collateral Damage 2015/05/10 New York Times: Accused of Spying for China, Until She Wasn’t 2000/09/14 New York Times: Statement by Judge in Los Alamos Case, With Apology for Abuse of Power . 1999/12/11 Washington Post: China Prefers the Sand to the Moles 1964/02/02 New York Times: F.B.I. Chief Warns of Red China Spies NIH’s Own “China Initiative” According to the Science Magazine, Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sent a missive to more than 10,000 institutions on August 20, 2018, asserting that "threats to the integrity of U.S. biomedical research exist" and highlighted the failure to disclose "substantial resources from other organizations, including foreign governments." Collins wrote that "in the weeks and months ahead you may be hearing from [NIH] regarding … requests about specific … personnel from your institution." Dubbed as NIH’s own “China Initiative,” NIH began sending letters to dozens of major U.S. research universities in March 2019, asking them to provide information about specific faculty members with NIH funding who are believed to have links to foreign governments that NIH did not know about. Universities reportedly scrambled to respond to the unprecedented queries. Some academic administrators worry the exercise could cast a chill over all types of international scientific collaborations. Others fear that the inquiry may become a vehicle to impugn the loyalty of any faculty member—and especially any foreign-born scientists—who maintain overseas ties. At some institutions, every researcher flagged by NIH was Chinese American. The vaguely worded letters did not contain specific accusations, nor did it explain any aspect of the process. By March 23, 2023, a year after the official end of the China Initiative, Science reported that NIH’s “China initiative” has upended hundreds of lives and destroyed scores of academic careers. In contrast to the very public criminal prosecutions of academic scientists under the China Initiative, NIH’s version was conducted behind closed doors. 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. 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. In only 14 of the 246 cases—a scant 6%—did the institution fail to find any evidence to back up NIH’s suspicions. 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 Michael Lauer, NIH deputy director for 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 (UCSD), 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. References and Links 2024/03/29 University of Michigan News: US universities secretly turned their back on Chinese professors under DOJ’s China Initiative 2023/02/23 Science: Pall of Suspicion 2019/03/01 Science: NIH letters asking about undisclosed foreign ties rattle U.S. universities Criminalizing China The name of China Initiative by itself is problematic. "Using 'China' as the glue connecting cases prosecuted under the Initiative's umbrella creates an overinclusive conception of the threat and attaches a criminal taint to entities that possess 'China-ness,' based on PRC nationality, PRC national origin, Chinese ethnicity, or other expressions of connections with 'China.,'" Professor Margaret Lewis wrote in her article "Criminalizing China" in 2020. Her article further contends that, when assessed in light of the goals of deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retribution, it is worrisome that the prosecution and punishment of people and entities rests in part on a connection with “China.” A better path is to discard the “China Initiative” framing, focus on cases’ individual characteristics, and enhance the Department of Justice’s interactions with nongovernmental experts. Margaret K. Lewis, Criminalizing China , 111 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 145 (2020). https://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/jclc/vol111/iss1/3 The Ethnic Targeting of Chinese Scientists On November 19, 2020, The China Project produced a video titled “ The China Initiative: The ethnic targeting of Chinese scientists and the subsequent brain drain .” (7:30) The China Project talked to lawyers, academics, and victims of the China Initiative for their perspective. Many Chinese and Chinese American researchers feel that the program has placed a target on their back, and that they are being unfairly targeted for their Chinese ethnicity. There are also critics who say the Initiative has done little more than drive talent away from the U.S. Jump to: Overview FBI Director’s Profiling Approach NIH’s Own “China Initiative” Criminalizing China Ethnic Targeting of Chinese Scientists 1. DOJ launched China Initiative November 1, 2018 Timeline Contents Department of Justice: Information About The Department of Justice's China Initiative and A Compilation of China-Related Prosecutions Since 2018 . (last updated November 19, 2021). Margaret K. Lewis, Criminalizing China , 111 J. Crim. L. & Criminology 145 (2020). 2021/12/02 MIT Technology Review: The US crackdown on Chinese economic espionage is a mess. We have the data to show it. 2020/11/19 The China Project: The China Initiative: The Ethnic Targeting of Chinese Scientists and the Subsequent Brain Drain . (video 7:30) 2020/10/30 The China Project: Scientists in the Crosshairs: What should Chinese and Chinese-American researchers do amid U.S. crackdown on ‘China ties’? (video 21:04) 2018/11/07 New York Times: Jeff Sessions Is Forced Out as Attorney General as Trump Installs Loyalist 2018/11/01 Department of Justice: Attorney General Jeff Sessions Announces New Initiative to Combat Chinese Economic Espionage 2018/11/01 Department of Justice: Attorney General Sessions Announces Criminal Enforcement Action and New Initiative to Combat Chinese Economic Espionage (video 36:37) Links and References Timeline Known Cases Impacted Individuals

Newsletter - #268 Franklin Tao Speaks; Brain Drain; Research Collaboration Decline; Sheila Jackson Lee + #268 Franklin Tao Speaks; Brain Drain; Research Collaboration Decline; Sheila Jackson Lee + In This Issue #268 · The Injustice and Ordeal of Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao · Reverse Brain Drain? Exploring Trends among Chinese Scientists in the U.S. · Nature : China–US research collaborations are in decline · Remembering Sheila Jackson Lee · News and Activities for the Communities The Injustice and Ordeal of Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao On July 11, 2024, Professor Feng "Franklin" Tao was cleared of the final charge against him under the now-defunct China Initiative. He and his wife have accepted an invitation to speak at the next APA Justice monthly meeting on August 5, 2024.Professor Tao was the first academic scientist indicted under the China Initiative on August 21, 2019. As a tenured associate professor at the Kansas University (KU), he conducted research on fundamental studies of catalysis for chemical transformation, promotion of energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability. On June 24, 2020, the government charged him with a second superseding indictment, bringing the total to ten counts including wire fraud and false statements against Professor Tao. These charges were unrelated to espionage or the transfer of sensitive information to China.The case against Professor Tao started from fabricated allegations by a disgruntled visiting scholar. After failing to extort Professor Tao for $300,000, she later admitted to the FBI that she had hacked into his email account to fish for "evidence" and then used phony aliases to submit fabricated complaints to both KU and the FBI.Before the jury trial, the government voluntarily dropped two charges. The trial on the remaining eight counts began on March 21, 2022. The jury acquitted four counts and convicted him on the other four counts. On September 20, 2022, U.S. District Court Senior Judge Julie Robinson acquitted the three wire-fraud counts. Only a false statement count was left. On January 18, 2023, Judge Robinson sentenced Professor Tao to no jail time, no fine, and two years of probation for the remaining false statement conviction. The district court terminated the probation early in February 2024.Professor Tao appealed the conviction of the last count in February 2023. On July 11, 2024, the 10th Circuit Appeals Court ruled in a 2-1 vote that reversed the conviction of making a false statement, clearing all charges imposed on Professor Tao.The acquittal of the last of the 10 original charges marked the end of Professor Tao's five-year ordeal of criminal persecution, initiated by racial profiling under the China Initiative. Despite not being tried for espionage or the transfer of sensitive information to China, his faculty position was terminated in January 2023. He expects KU should reinstate him.While Professor Tao's innocence has now been confirmed, the process has had a tremendous impact on his finances, career, reputation, and family.APA Justice has closely tracked Professor Tao's case from the beginning. The Asian American communities were mobilized to fully support Professor Tao.The media was engaged. Amicus brief was submitted. Funds were raised for his legal defense. Turnout rallies were organized.APA Justice has compiled the details of Professor Tao's ordeal into a web page. It is still a work in progress, but it is available for public review here: https://bit.ly/3y8SBsm . If you wish to attend the August 5 APA Justice monthly meeting or provide feedback to the web page, please send a message to contact@apajustice.org . 2024/07/23 Press Conference on Professor Franklin Tao WHAT: Press Conference WHO: Professor Franklin Tao, his wife, his lawyer, Peter Zeidenberg, Members of Congress, representatives from Asian American civil rights and scientific organizations WHEN: July 23, 3:00 pm to 3:30 pm ET WHERE: Cannon House Office Building, Room 454, Capitol Hill, Washington DC Reverse Brain Drain? Exploring Trends among Chinese Scientists in the U.S. According to an update by the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions (SCCEI) on July 15, 2024, along with native-born Chinese Americans, Chinese immigrants have become a large and visible demographic group in American science, technology, and engineering. However, the pressure of potential federal investigations since the 2018 launch of the "China Initiative" by the U.S. Department of Justice has provided scientists of Chinese descent in the U.S. with higher incentives to leave and lower incentives to apply for federal grants.While most China-born, U.S.-based scientists intend to stay in the U.S., the number leaving has steadily increased. After the Department of Justice implemented the "China Initiative" in 2018, departures increased by 75%, with two-thirds of the relocated scientists moving to China.Surveyed scientists of Chinese descent in the U.S. report anxiety and new difficulties in pursuing their research, with 61% considering leaving the U.S. and 45% avoiding federal grant applications.The update says U.S. science will likely suffer given the loss of scientific talent to China and other countries. Read the SCCEI update: https://stanford.io/3zQOf9P . Nature : China–US Research Collaborations are In Decline According to Nature on July 19, 2024, scientists have been warning that political tensions between China and the United States, combined with the pandemic, have affected research collaborations between the two countries. But it takes time for evidence of this sort of decline to accumulate in research databases. The latest evidence comes from an analysis conducted by Springer Nature ’s team in China. They found that in 2022, the total number papers co-authored by researchers from China and their international peers declined for the first time since 2013.The proportion of research papers with Chinese and international co-authors has been falling for even longer. At its peak, in 2018, 26.6% — roughly 110,000 articles — of China’s output in the InCites database was co-authored with international colleagues. By 2023, the proportion of the country’s articles with international peers had dropped by 7.2%, despite China’s overall number of articles almost doubling to 759,000 over the same period.The drop in internationally co-authored papers is mainly due to China’s declining share of papers published with US researchers, which fell by 6.4% between its peak in 2017 and 2023 — the largest decline of any country included in the analysis. The findings were presented at the Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing on April 25.The decline in US-China collaborations echoes findings from a 2022 analysis conducted for Nature, which found that the number of researchers with dual US and China affiliations on research articles in Elsevier’s Scopus database had fallen by more than 20% between 2019 and 2021. The crackdown under the China Initiative resulted in several scientists being arrested over their ties to collaborators or institutions in China, and has stoked fear among researchers of Chinese descent. Since then, the US government has adopted a range of policies focused on tightening research security. And in July 2023, the Chinese government implemented its revised counter-espionage law, which broadened the definition of what constitutes spying.The crackdown on perceived foreign interference in both the United States and China is making researchers more cautious about collaborating. Restrictive policies and the climate of fear could end up driving talent away from certain countries and fields, leading to a “brain drain and a loss of valuable human capital.” The faltering collaborative ties between the United States and China could also result in the countries pursuing the same types of research separately, increasingly prioritize domestic interests over international cooperation, which could make scientific research a more nationalistic endeavor.Read the Nature report: https://go.nature.com/4cP5h6O . Remembering Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (pictured in red above) died in Houston on July 19, 2024, at the age of 74. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was a force in American politics. Born in Queens, New York, she was appointed a municipal court judge in Houston in 1987. She won a place on Houston's City Council two years later. In 1994, she defeated incumbent Congressman Craig Washington in the primary for a solidly Democratic seat. She won the general election that November. She was only the fourth member to represent the district since it was redrawn to represent Houston, following Barbara Jordan , Mickey Leland , and Washington. She wound up holding it for nearly 30 years, longer than all three of her immediate predecessors combined.Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee was a local, national and international humanitarian, who fought for racial and criminal justice. She was a fierce champion of the peopleIn March 2020, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee expressed outrage at the uptick in violence against Chinese Americans and pleaded for the President to cease and desist from calling the Coronavirus the Chinese Virus. "Violence directed against individuals on the basis of their race, religion, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation is disturbingly prevalent -- and poses significant threats to the Chinese American community during this worldwide pandemic. Domestic terrorism is growing, and these words and attacks only create increasing fear in a time when our nation should be unified and stand together," she said in statement. On February 11, 2023, Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee wore the "We Belong" Yellow Whistle and joined hundreds of protesters marching through Houston's Chinatown in opposition to SB 147 - a proposed law that would prohibit Chinese citizens from owning property in Texas. She carried the banner with Texas Representative Gene Wu , Congressman Al Green , and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner , insisting to complete the entire march. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee also spoke on the stage . "No to SB 147, because the Statue of Liberty has not fallen, and the American flag is still standing," she said. "Stop the Asian hate. Stand for the American flag."We mourn the passing of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and the loss of a true friend of the Asian American community. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2024/07/23 Press Conference on Professor Franklin Tao2024/07/25-28 Leadership Convention by NAAAP (National Association of Asian American Professionals) 2024/07/27-28 Asian American Pioneer Medal Symposium and Ceremony2024/08/04 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/08/05 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2024/08/19 DNC Convention, AAPI Briefing & Reception, Chicago, IL2024/09/01 Rep. Gene Wu's Town Hall Meeting2024/09/19-20 AANHPI Unity SummitThe Community Calendar has moved. Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. Back View PDF July 23, 2024 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #348 Special Edition: Shutdown of Corporation of Public Broadcasting #348 Special Edition: Shutdown of Corporation of Public Broadcasting In This Issue #348 Special Edition: Shutdown of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Author: Madeleine Gable, APA Justice Communications Associate On July 24, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the GOP-backed Rescissions Act of 2025, cutting about $1.1 billion in previously approved funding allocated to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) over the next two years. A week later, CPB President Patricia Harrison announced the organization would shut down, with most of its 100 employees leaving by the end of September. Despite widespread public opposition, including letters and petitions, the shutdown advances, threatening the future of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the National Public Radio (NPR), and hundreds of local stations nationwide, significantly impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities. What is the CPB? Established in 1967 under the Public Broadcasting Act, the CPB is a private nonprofit corporation supporting noncommercial, educational, and accessible broadcasting. Beyond funding PBS and NPR, the CPB provides support to over 1,500 local radio and TV stations. Many of the rural networks are the only broadcasting stations in the area.Former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the act as part of Great Society legislation , initiatives intended to reduce poverty and promote social equity. Early broadcasters, often based at universities and land-grant schools, provided continuing education programs, which eventually expanded to include children’s programming, documentary films, and feature stories.The CPB allocates more than $400 million to over 500 public-media organizations nationwide. In particular, its funding has a much greater impact on stations that serve local communities than it does on PBS and NPR. In fact, the CPB funds 15% of the budget for PBS and only 1% of the budget for NPR. The vast majority of the CPB’s funds are allocated directly to local TV and radio stations, and 31% of the CPB’s grants were allocated directly to rural networks in 2023. According to CPB analysis, more than half of the rural stations it supported relied on federal funding for at least 25% of their budget. Consequences of the Shutdown At its inception, the CPB was designed to ensure nonpartisanship by creating a degree of separation between its operations and the lawmakers responsible for approving the annual federal budget. Recently, the CPB, and especially NPR and PBS, have garnered criticism for alleged liberal bias. Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene vehemently called for the defunding of the CPB because NPR and PBS had become “echo chambers for a narrow audience of mostly wealthy white urban liberals and progressives who generally look down on and judge rural America.” On Truth Social in April, President Donald Trump referred to NPR and PBS as “radical left monsters that so badly hurt our country.” 1. Loss of Local/Rural Representation and Voice Both Rep. Greene and President Trump’s statements underscore the irony of shuttering the CPB. The shutdown would hit rural, low-income areas hardest, places where local stations are often the sole source of essential information, leaving these communities at a significant disadvantage. With the loss of funding, smaller, public radio stations will be forced to rely more heavily on national programming, thereby reducing the diversity of perspectives on the air. As Emily Cohen , station manager of KHOL in Jackson, Wyoming, observed , “If you take away the funding that’s supporting local coverage, it could potentially make polarization worse.”Such smaller, rural broadcasting stations include Allegheny Mountain Radio (AMR), a network of three radio stations in West Virginia and Virginia that serve as the area’s only broadcasters. Located within the National Radio Quiet Zone, a 13,000 square-mile region where airwaves are restricted due to a nearby radio telescope, AMR operates at a frequency low enough to avoid interference. More than 60% of its annual budget is funded by the CPB; any reduction in this funding would seriously harm residents who may otherwise lose access to local broadcasting. Josh Shepperd , associate professor at the University of Colorado, suggests “20% of the country is effectively going to lose any concept of itself as a place within the next 10 years without public media.” He added local communities are “all going to have national ideology on the local level, and no local memory and no local experience.” 2. Reduced Access to Critical Information and Services Importantly, the shutdown of the CPB will severely dampen the efficacy of local alert systems, endangering the lives of those who rely on local broadcasting systems for emergency messages. In rural communities that lack reliable internet, radio is often a more effective means of disseminating emergency alerts. While the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the ability to send emergency messages directly to people’s cellphones, radio stations can cover a larger geographical area and are more reliable than cell towers.In the Permian Basin in southwest Texas, radio is often the only outlet available to provide residents with emergency information in times of natural disaster. Marfa Public Radio and KPBT-TV (also known as Basin PBS) are two of the stations that primarily serve this area. 30% of Marfa Public Radio’s budget is funded by the CPB, while 48% of KPBT-TV’s comes from the CPB. Directors of both of these stations have expressed their concerns about continuing to operate as their budgets must now be fully funded by donors.Mendocino-based NPR member station KZYX in California serves roughly 130,000 listeners. Andre de Channes , KZYX’s general manager and director of operations, worried about fire safety as the station provides service to many off-the-grid rural areas without access to internet or cell service. Residents of those areas rely primarily on KZYX for emergency information. KZYX has lost 25% of its operating budget. 3. Impact on Cultural Programming In addition to limited diversity of programming and reduced access to critical information and services, the shutdown of the CPB will also profoundly impact cultural programming, particularly because local stations broadcast the majority of such content. Jack Jones is the acting station manager of KGVA, a tribal radio station on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in northern Montana, which receives 85% of its funding from the CPB. Much of the rest of its funding is allocated by the reservation’s college, which also faces a severe funding crisis. According to Jones, KGVA daily broadcasts feature educational programming, words of the day in Aaniiih and Nakota languages, interviews with tribal elders, Native American drum groups, and local high school basketball games. Republican Senator from South Dakota Mike Rounds noted that tribal radio stations are crucial for "delivering critical emergency alerts and public safety information.” Jones remains concerned that the shutdown of the CPB will deprive listeners of both vital cultural programming and essential public safety information. Loris Taylor , President and CEO of Native Public Media, warned that the “cost of silence” from shuttering tribal radio stations also includes the loss of emergency alerting capabilities and the collapse of civic engagement coverage. Perhaps most importantly, Taylor says defunding tribal stations "turns off a pathway to participation, representation, and leadership for Native youth.” The CPB shutdown also threatens the more than 1,000 public radio stations that play independent music, as the CPB funding often covers all music licensing fees for public radio stations. Without that funding, public radio stations would have to renegotiate those deals individually. NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher recently estimated that 96% of all classical music broadcast in the U.S. is on public radio stations. Impact on AANHPI Communities 1. Cultural Programming at Risk Beyond local stations, CPB funding also supports national and digital platforms that amplify AANHPI voices.To celebrate AANHPI Heritage Month in 2024, the CPB published a comprehensive guide to its programming exploring and celebrating the history and culture of AANHPI individuals and communities. Examples include PBS’s “ The Composer is Yoo ” and Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story , Dear Corky , WORLD’s “ Chinatown Auxiliary ” and In Search of Bengali Harlem , NPR’s Tiny Desk Japan and Tiny Desk Korea , and PBS’s five part documentary series Asian Americans .Other PBS stations offering extensive, culturally rich programming about Asian Americans include PBS Hawai’i , KQED , and PBS SoCal . The latter aired “ Snapshots of Confinement ,” a locally-produced documentary chronicling the experiences of Japanese Americans at internment camps during World War II.Other radio and online platforms uplifting AANHPI voices include NPR Live Sessions , Seattle’s KEXP , LAist Studios and NPR’s Inheriting , StoryCorps , and the American Archive of Public Broadcasting . 2. Arts and Story Telling The Serica Initiative , a nonprofit in New York City, raises awareness of the Asian diaspora in America through storytelling, dialogue, and the power of convening. According to CEO and founder Anla Cheng , a key partner of Serica's is The WNET Group in New York and a past recipient of CPB funds. Together, Serica and ALL ARTS — the arts and culture hub created by The WNET Group — have co-produced a series of short videos highlighting the impact of AAPIs; most recently, their series " Climate Artists " (which featured artists centering climate change and sustainability in their work, including architect and designer Maya Lin ) was nominated for three NY Emmy Awards; a fourth Emmy nomination was for their video " Voices Rising: What's Next for Asian Americans in the Arts? ", which was also co-produced with ALL ARTS and featured such speakers as playwright David Henry Hwang (Golden Child, Yellow Face) as well as actors Rosalind Chao (Three Body Problem) and BD Wong (Jurassic Park, Law & Order: SUV). Cheng highlighted that reductions in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) funding, academic research grants, and resources supporting AAPI communities will have far-reaching effects throughout the entire community. She also emphasized that the willingness to support one another remains stronger than ever, with emotional and creative contributions often being just as valuable as financial support, making the phrase “Collectively, We are Stronger” a reality. 3. Asian American Films and Festivals Two of the country’s largest Asian American Film Festivals, CAAMFest and the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, also risk losing a significant portion of their funding. CAAM , the Center for Asian American Media, originated through the efforts of Loni Ding and others to secure funding from the CPB to create the National Asian American Telecommunications Association in 1980, later renamed CAAM. CAAMFest, an offshoot of CAAM, debuted in 1982 as the San Francisco Asian American International Film Festival before adopting its current name in 2013. Since then, it has been held annually, except in 1985. According to Grace Yu of the 1990 Institute , CAAM remains the primary organization recognized by the CPB representing Asian Americans. CAAM’s Executive Director Don Young warned that the group faces a major financial crisis following President Trump’s funding cuts, which threaten 40% of its total budget. While the most severe restrictions were not applied directly to the film festival, they will significantly disrupt CAAM’s core work of funding, producing, distributing, and showcasing film, television, and other digital media. The festival itself is not the main target of the cuts, but it remains vulnerable to their ripple effects.Young underscored the importance of documentary filmmaking as a “fundamental influence to help the Asian American community discover our voice and to provide greater shared understanding of Asian America to the broader public.” Despite the financial strain, Young reaffirmed that “CAAM’s commitment to storytelling for the public good, and not corporate profits, will continue,” with an emphasis on public media, sustainability, and innovation. Similarly, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival forecasts it will lose 10-20% of its funding, much of which stems from the National Endowment of the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the CPB. Francis Cuillado , executive director at Visual Communications, noted that their archive will bear the greatest impact. The archive works to “preserve and digitize film, photographs and other media” in order to create a freely accessible library. Presented by Visual Communications, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival first debuted in 1983 and has presented over 5,000 films, videos, and digital mediaworks by Asian and Pacific Islander artists. The festival also features seminars, panels, and in-person guest appearances.With the imminent shutdown, all of the above programming faces significant disruption or cancellation. Even organizations not directly affected will feel the loss of a broader network, frequent collaborators, and reliable source material, further hindering the production and dissemination of Asian American programming. Economic and Employment Impact The CPB shutdown will also significantly impact employment and local economies. The CPB estimates nearly 6,000 people are employed by rural stations that it supports. All of those employees face the risk of severe pay cuts due to the shutdown, in addition to the threat of losing their jobs.As Montana’s KGVA stands to lose $100,000 in funding, station manager Jack Jones plans to phase out all programming that requires someone in the studio, cutting the station’s budget down to just $30,000 for licensing fees and station upkeep. Jones says he plans to “start letting people go” as salaries are their largest expense. KGVA only employs one part-time worker, a summer disc jockey. When The New Yorker journalist Oliver Whang noted that Jones himself was the only other employee who could be let go, Jones paused, then quipped “yeah.” "The Race to Rescue PBS and NPR Stations" According to the New York Times on August 19, 2025, philanthropists from the Knight Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Schmidt Family Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation announced they have committed $26.5 million to support the most at-risk public radio and TV stations. In their definition, these stations include those who have historically received more than 30% of their support from the CPB. They hope to reach $50 million for the Public Media Bridge Fund by the end of this year through additional fundraising. According to Maribel Pérez Wadsworth , president and CEO of the Knight Foundation, philanthropy could not provide a substitute for the federal funding in the long term. A broad overhaul of the public radio system is needed, and many stations will need to merge or pool their resources to save costs. Additional Resources 2025/08/07 The New Yorker: What Happens to Public Media Now? https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/what-happens-to-public-media-now 2025/08/06 Christian Science Monitor: As Corporation for Public Broadcasting shuts down, what will that mean on airwaves? https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2025/0806/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-npr-pbs 2025/08/05 Forbes: Will NPR And PBS Go Away? How CPB Shutting Down Affects Them https://www.forbes.com/sites/andymeek/2025/08/05/will-npr-and-pbs-go-away-how-cpb-shutting-down-affects-them/ About the author: Madeleine Gable is a junior at New York University, studying International Relations, Economics, and Chinese. She will spend the upcoming fall semester at NYU Shanghai and has been working with APA Justice since October 2024. News and Activities for the Communities 1. APA Justice Community Calendar Upcoming Events: 2025/09/06 The 2025 Asian American Youth Symposium2025/09/08 APA Justice Monthly Meeting2025/09/08 Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” with Janet Yang2025/09/09 China Connections — Chinese Encounters with America: Profiles of Changemakers Who Shaped China2025/09/16-17 2025 AANHPI Unity Summit2025/09/23 Committee of 100: Is Deglobalization Inevitable?Visit https://bit.ly/3XD61qV for event details. 2. C100: Is Deglobalization Inevitable? On September 23, 2025, the Committee of 100 and the Foreign Policy Association will co-host a keynote fireside chat and debate on the topic of "Is Deglobalization Inevitable?" Nobel Prize-winning economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz at Columbia University will open with a fireside chat on the evening’s central issue, followed by a lively debate between two leading experts: Walden Bello , Professor, State University of New York at Binghamton and Kyoto University (and credited with coining the term “deglobalization”), and Professor Edward Ashbee, Professor, Copenhagen Business School. They will present opposing views in a traditional debate format—opening statements, rebuttals, and closing remarks. Peter Young, Committee of 100 Member and Board Member, CEO of Young & Partners, will serve as moderator. The in-person event at the Yale Club of New York City is by invitation only. The virtual invitation is open to the public; register to attend at https://bit.ly/3Jnwi7z Contact events@committee100.org for more information. # # # 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 August 21, 2025 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

Newsletter - #193: 7/3 Meeting; Affirmative Action; Florida Law; Pew Study; Rice Names AVPs; More #193: 7/3 Meeting; Affirmative Action; Florida Law; Pew Study; Rice Names AVPs; More In This Issue #193 REMINDER: 2023/07/03 APA Justice Monthly Meeting Affirmative Action in College Admissions: What Have We Won? What Have We Lost? DOJ Says Florida Law is Unconstitutional Relatively Few Asian Americans Say They’re Well-informed About Asian History In The U.S. Rice University Names AVPs for Research Security, Technology Transfer News and Activities for the Communities Back View PDF July 3, 2023 Previous Newsletter Next Newsletter

website under development Birthright Citizenship Learn more China Initiative Chinese academics and researchers were systemically targeted in a government-led initiative and may be at threat again in the future Learn more Racial Profiling Targeting of individuals or groups due to their race or ethnicity Learn more History and Purpose of APA Justice A platform for Asian American justice and fairness Learn more Warrantless Surveillance The U.S. government engages in mass, warrantless surveillance of American citizens Learn more Alien Land Bills Communities fighting back against discriminatory land laws Learn more Birthright Citizenship Details Birthright Citizenship Details Birthright Citizenship Details Birthright Citizenship Details The Latest Court Hearing and A New Movement Emerges Read More We published a Special Edition of our newsletter to cover the July 18 court hearing on Florida's new discriminatory housing law. Lawsuit Against Florida Senate Bill 264 Read More A group of Chinese citizens who live, work, study, and raise families in Florida filed a lawsuit to combat Florida’s discriminatory property law, SB 264. Texas House Bill 1075 and Senate Bill 552 Read More Texas state representatives are attempting to stop foreign governments from purchasing Texas agricultural land. Rep. Judy Chu's New Year Greetings and 2022 Review Read More During the first APA Justice monthly meeting of 2023, Rep. Judy Chu, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, reviewed the accomplishments of 2022, highlighted by the end of the "China Initiative" and Sherry Chen's historic settlement. Community Calendar 01 Racial Profiling 03 Warrantless Surveillance 02 The China Initiative 04 Alien Land Bills Learn more about the pressing AAPI issues of today. Yellow Whistle Campaign Our partnership with the Yellow Whistle Project to promote self-protection and solidarity against discrimination and violence. Advocacy Our work with policy makers to push for AAPI rights and to ensure justice for AAPI academics and scientists. Know your rights Protect yourself by knowing your rights. National Media Network A national media alert network giving greater resources and a more assertive voice to the Asian American community. WHAT WE DO Learn more Watchlist See important issues and legislation we're monitoring Report a Hate Incident Learn what it means to be Chinese American Library See important issues and legislation we're monitoring Report a Hate Incident Learn what it means to be Chinese American Resources Learn about the history, responses, and current state of the APA community. Name Email I accept terms & conditions Stay informed Stay up to date with the latest news and developments from APA Justice Last name Subscribe You've signed up for the APA Justice newsletter. Stay informed Stay up to date with the latest news and developments from APA Justice Name Email I accept terms & conditions Subscribe You've signed up for the APA Justice newsletter.