Stephen Yates recently commented on the tensions between China and America in the scientific and research spheres and what has caused them, pointing out how China's lack of ethics and accountability, and its use of deceptive tactics are what have caused the problems seen today and it is in the best interest of America to investigate China's intentions and any possible criminal acts.
“It is not the existence of tension in the US-China relationship that has hurt American science,” Yates, chair of the China Policy Initiative at the America First Policy Institute, said to State Newswire. “The lack of ethics, transparency, quality control, and accountability in the People’s Republic of China is ultimately what drives distrust and risk aversion. The development, spread, and deception related to COVID-19 undermine scientific collaboration in fundamental ways. China did that, under Xi Jinping’s leadership, and it would be a disservice to science if we were to ignore that fact and fail to adjust research and financial engagements accordingly.”
The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) states in an analysis published Dec. 9 that the Chinese government's Thousand Talents Program, a program designed to recruit global talent to help China's scientific development, have used various practices that contribute to the concern they are leveraging this program to steal sensitive technologies.
The CSIS also notes that helping to reduce China's access to key technologies is an important national security benefit for the U.S. The CSIS points out that colleges and universities will need to create clear guidelines if they are looking to continue collaborations with China while also protecting themselves from espionage and employee malfeasance.
CSIS reports that in 2018, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the China Initiative, a program designed to investigate and prosecute economic espionage. China had been a focus for some time regarding the theft of trade secrets, however after the implementation of this program the number of prosecutions rapidly grew. The DOJ eventually ended the China Initiative program in early 2022. The Biden Administration believed it unfairly targeted people of ethnic Chinese background, however multiple cases regarding China and pursued under this program are currently still pending.
Former FBI Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi was quoted as saying that the PRC has a “shopping list” of technologies that it seeks to obtain, most often from university research labs. The total proportion of U.S. graduate students that are admitted from overseas is estimated to be approximately 50%, with 37% of STEM graduate students from overseas estimated to be from the People’s Republic of China.
The National Association of Scholars maintains a list of graduate students, researchers, visiting scholars, and professors who have been charged by U.S. authorities over espionage and selling secrets to China, among other accusations. Chinese attempts to gather technology and intelligence from American universities is deliberate and premeditated.
Yates previously worked in the Bush Administration, the Heritage Foundation, and the National Security Agency.
