Racial profiling in US sharpens fears

Scientists of Chinese descent report far more racial profiling by the US government than is the case for other groups, along with increased difficulties in obtaining research funds, in a trend that is fueling anxiety among them, a study has found.

The study, "Racial Profiling Among Scientists of Chinese Descent and Consequences for the US Scientific Community", was undertaken by the Committee of 100, a group comprising prominent Chinese Americans, and the University of Arizona to examine what the so-called China Initiative means for scientists of Chinese descent.

The program was launched by the Justice Department in 2018 to counter perceived threats to national security.

The survey, conducted between May and July among about 2,000 scientists, confirms a chilling effect is taking place throughout the scientific community, particularly among those of Chinese descent, said the lead author, Jenny Lee, a professor at the University of Arizona. Those questioned included faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.

"Scientific discovery, which is fundamentally borderless, is being politically bordered," Lee told an online gathering for the release of the report on Thursday. "What is clear from this research is that US scientists and researchers of Chinese descent and non-Chinese descent experience the world and their work very differently because of racism, stereotypes, xenophobia, and government policies."

The research found that 42.2 percent of scientists of Chinese descent feel racially profiled by the US government, while only 8.6 percent of scientists of non-Chinese descent feel that way.

Half of the scientists of Chinese descent said they feel considerable fear or anxiety that they are being monitored by the US government, compared to only 11.7 percent of other scientists.

"Openness in research is really paramount. I think the China Initiative has been damaging to that environment," Peter Michelson, a physics professor at Stanford University, told the forum. "I see this among many of my closest colleagues at Stanford who are confused and scared. It really has to stop."

Increased reluctance

Scientists of Chinese descent indicate in the survey that they have purposely not pursued federal funding for projects for fear of increased scrutiny. There is also a reluctance, particularly among scientists of Chinese background, to work with scholars based in China to avoid being investigated.

Among those who had reported conducting research that involves China over the past three years, 40.6 percent of the scientists of Chinese origin reported limiting communication with collaborators in China, compared with 12.8 percent of non-Chinese scientists who did so, according to the report.

Among those whose research with China was prematurely suspended over the past three years, 78.5 percent of scientists of Chinese descent wanted to distance themselves from collaborators in China due to the China Initiative, compared to 27.3 percent of other scientists.

"Even though I do not work in a sensitive field, nor do I deal with any privileged or proprietary information, I am increasingly hesitant to interact or collaborate with scientists from China for fear it may be misconstrued by overzealous authorities as a conflict of national interest," a Chinese-American associate professor of biophysics was cited as saying in the report.

Lee said: "Disengaging with China is not good for scientific discovery, as over 90 percent of Chinese and non-Chinese alike indicated that the impact would be negative for academia, their respective fields and their respective research projects."

She also noted that the loss of talent to the US is another potential consequence of racial profiling. The report shows that 42 percent of the scientists of Chinese descent indicate that FBI investigations and the China Initiative affected their plans to stay in the US, while only 7 percent of other scientists report they feel that way.

"Scientists of Chinese descent have also started to consider working in less hostile climates outside the US, which could affect talent retention. The enrollment of new international graduate students from China has already been declining," said Lee.

"Scientific research that has long been driven by intellectual curiosity is being reshaped by such fear with major consequences for US innovation. Scientists are abandoning collaboration with China, pursuing nonfederal funding, downsizing their projects, pursuing fewer sensitive projects and working in reduced domestic teams."