Chu’s letter, also signed by the top Democrats on the House oversight and science committees, asserted that US government responses to concerns about influence attempts by foreign entities, particularly those in China, had led to disproportionately high numbers of ethnically Asian researchers being targeted and losing their jobs.
In 2018, the National Institutes of Health – an American government agency responsible for biomedical and public health research – began investigating 246 US-based scientists who allegedly failed to disclose research conducted in another country or affiliations with foreign institutions.
Chu’s letter cited reporting that revealed 103 of them had lost their jobs and that 81 per cent of the scientists under investigation identified as Asian.
“These data highlight the need to examine whether federal agencies ensure that such investigations are free from bias and do not result in discriminatory treatment,” it stated.
In contrast to the highly publicised China Initiative run by the US Department of Justice – a now-defunct programme that sought to counter Beijing’s economic espionage – the NIH’s version was mostly conducted behind closed doors.
Consensus no more? Democrats start to split from Republicans on China policy
Consensus no more? Democrats start to split from Republicans on China policy
Last week, 45 organisations, mostly Asian-American groups, wrote to congressional leaders to oppose any effort to reinstate the China Initiative.
Finding a complete accounting of dropped cases is difficult, as the Justice Department has not clearly explained what led it to classify a case under the initiative.
Final Pentagon bill features Taiwan, Aukus and counters to China’s influence
Final Pentagon bill features Taiwan, Aukus and counters to China’s influence
In recent years, Sino-American cooperation on science and technology has increasingly come under US government scrutiny.
In August, days before the science deal was due to expire, the US government announced it would temporarily extend the agreement for six months.
Speaking on Monday at the Hudson Institute, Republican congressman Mike Waltz of Florida, a member of the permanent select committee on intelligence, raised concern that the Chinese government was “weaponising” race to counter concerns about academic espionage.
