Asian American groups are expressing concern after the House passed a bill this week to revive the China Initiative, a controversial surveillance program implemented during the Trump administration. The initiative, which expired in 2022, was criticized for racial profiling and targeting Asian scholars in the U.S. Many scientists, lawmakers, and advocates fear that if the program is reinstated, it will once again unfairly target the Asian American community.
A joint statement from civil rights groups denounced the initiative as a “witch hunt” that harmed families and hindered academic talent retention. The bill was introduced by Rep. Lance Gooden, who argued that it was necessary to protect Chinese Americans from predatory practices by the Chinese Communist Party. The legislation was passed during “China Week,” a series of bills aimed at addressing threats from the Chinese Communist Party.
Under the China Initiative, several Asian American academics and scientists were wrongly accused of espionage, leading to arrests and disruptions in their careers. MIT professor Gang Chen, who was arrested in 2021, and Anming Hu, a nanotechnology expert at the University of Tennessee, both spoke out against the program’s potential reinstatement, highlighting the impact it had on their lives and careers.
The White House has condemned the potential revival of the China Initiative, citing concerns about discrimination, racial profiling, and harm to the research community. Asian American advocacy groups have long warned about the program’s chilling effects, with a significant number of scientists of Chinese descent in the U.S. expressing fear and anxiety about government surveillance. Former DOJ official Matthew Olsen also questioned the initiative’s effectiveness and highlighted its negative impact on the community.
Overall, Asian American groups are urging lawmakers to reconsider the revival of the China Initiative to prevent further harm and discrimination against the Asian American community.
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