China Initiative

Today, the Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) joins the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America, the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network, and the Chinese Biological Investigators Society in a letter published in Science Magazine that raised concerns about widespread investigations of Asian American and immigrant scientists under what science policy reporter Jeffrey Mervis has called the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) “China Initiative.”

On March 14th, 2022, Asian American Scholar Forum (AASF) submitted the following letter to request Judge Rya W. Zobel to take into account the special conditions and circumstances of Professor Charles Lieber's case.

The Asian American Scholar Forum appreciates that the DOJ heard the voices and concerns of the scientific and the Asian American communities. We support the new strategy and welcome the termination of a flawed program that targeted scientists based on national heritage. 

AASF fully supports AAJC's statement made on Feb 23, 2022. Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced an end to the controversial “China Initiative,” and a series of changes to their national security approach to address concerns of profiling of Asian Americans and immigrants lifted up by Advancing Justice - AAJC and other civil rights and academic groups.  

In this webinar, Dr. Xi will present his personal experience and discuss other actual criminal cases to illustrate the risks faced by academics with ties in China. Links to resources concerning case information, legal rights, attorney referral, fundraising, and activism will be provided.

In view of the recent investigations of the Chinese American academic and scientific communities, a white collar defense attorney and former federal prosecutor will provide community members in this presentation with guidance on their legal rights and strategies to employ when interacting with law enforcement officials and university counsel conducting investigations.

The hard-handed use of criminal law to prosecute the misconducts of scientists has created frustrations in the US higher education institutions, fears among scientists, worries about the future leadership of America in science and technology innovation, and loss of competitiveness in attracting talents from abroad. In this panel, we will discuss and debate the following questions: