Asian-American groups call for end of controversial "China Initiative": CNBC

NEW YORK, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- Asian-American advocacy groups have increased pressure over the past year on the Biden administration to end the controversial "China Initiative" that unfairly targets scientists of Chinese descent and others, CNBC has reported.

Since it was launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2018, the initiative "hasn't found much success catching spies or countering technology theft," said the report.

However, it has brought "emotional and financial harm" to the families of ethnic Chinese scientists, it said.

"The China Initiative impacts Americans, permanent residents, immigrants, international students and visiting scholars," Gisela Kusakawa, an attorney for the civil rights group Asian Americans Advancing Justice, was quoted as saying.

Thu Nguyen, the executive director of the OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, said the initiative has created fear that could trigger a brain drain in academia.

The growing threat of racial profiling in the United States has already pushed some talented scientists to look for jobs back in China, she said.

In August 2021, more than 20 Asian-American advocacy groups jointly sent an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, urging him to pause the initiative targeting China.

The letter also called for an independent review on whether the program unfairly targeted individuals based on their race and ethnicity, urging Biden to "redouble" efforts to combat hate and violence against Asian Americans.