China is still trying to recruit US-based researchers despite years of heightened scrutiny, members of Congress were told on Thursday at a hearing where multiple science agencies warned that tighter security measures must go hand in hand with efforts to retain foreign talent.
“Just in the past week, I have received three emails that were forwarded to me from researchers in the community who had been approached for recruitment by Chinese malign foreign talent recruitment programmes,” said Rebecca Keiser, acting chief of staff of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
“The fact that they were approached, even now in 2025, is extremely concerning,” she continued, adding that Beijing kept changing the names of recruitment programmes, making it difficult to enforce security measures.
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The comments came during a House science committee hearing focused on protecting US research from China.
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Washington has for years raised concern about state-backed programmes from China, such as the Thousand Talents Programme, which was set up in the late 2000s to draw in leading researchers from overseas.
