Tag Archives: Chinese

Calling on Biden to End the China Initiative

NBC ASIAN AMERICA: “Asian American groups call on Biden to end controversial China Initiative Advocates say the Trump-era national security program to address Chinese economic espionage unfairly targets ethnic Chinese scientists and harms their families.

“Over the past year, Asian American advocacy groups have increased pressure on the Biden administration to end the initiative, which they say unfairly targets ethnic Chinese scientists and brings emotional and financial harm to their families. 

“’The China Initiative impacts Americans, permanent residents, immigrants, international students and visiting scholars,’ said Gisela Kusakawa, a staff attorney for the civil rights group Asian Americans Advancing Justice, or AAAJ. ‘It’s based on the premise that all scientists of Chinese descent or [who] have connections to China should be treated with suspicion.’ A year ago, AAAJ launched the Anti-Racial Profiling Project to persuade lawmakers to end the China Initiative and assist people targeted by the Justice Department. The group has provided legal and advocacy support to more than 70 academics, many of whom lost their jobs.

“Thu Nguyen, the executive director of OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, a nonprofit advocacy group, said the program has created a climate of fear that could trigger a brain drain in academia. The growing threat of racial profiling in the U.S., she said, has already pushed some talented scientists to look for jobs back in China. The China Initiative, she said, affects not only professors and working scientists but also students, many of whom may hesitate to apply for scholarships or pursue careers in science and technology out of fear of prosecution. In recent months, OCA has been lobbying lawmakers to end the program. In November, the group visited senators and mobilized chapter members to speak out about the issues at legislative sessions.”

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC: On May 29, 2020, six armed FBI agents raided Professor Shaorong Liu’s home, interrogated him and his wife, and arrested them. Professor Liu, who teaches at the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of Oklahoma, and his wife were charged with stealing years of research funding, even though they did the research, resulting in over a dozen academic articles and a U.S. Patent.In our latest blog, hear from Professor Liu’s daughter, Di Liu, about the devastating impact being targeted by the government’s racial bias and profiling through the “China Initiative” had on her family.”My parents have lived here in the U.S. for most of their lives. They are proud American citizens. They are not spies. They are academics who have committed their lives to improving life for everyone. Why has this man-made tragedy been forced upon them? What have they done to deserve the scorn, rather than protection of their own government?”Read the full blog here: bit.ly/diliublog. #StopProfilingUs

Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC: A new study shows that over 50% of scientists of Chinese descent working in the U.S., regardless of citizenship, fear they are under surveillance by the U.S. government. Read our Anti-Racial Profiling Project Intern Alex Liang’s latest on the reverberating effects of the “China Initiative” within the scientific community, and the dangers of it coming at a time when the pandemic and climate change have become predominant threats to Americans’ health and prosperity.

Why Ending the Justice Department’s “China Initiative” is Vital to U.S. Security

Asian American Leaders Call for Community-Centered Response

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2021

CONTACT INFORMATION
James C. Woo
404.585.8446 x 104
[email protected]

Atlanta, GA — Yesterday evening eight people were killed at three separate spas in North Georgia. Six of the people killed were Asian and all but one were women.

“We are heartbroken by these acts of violence. Six Asian women lost their lives. Now is the time to hold the victims and their families in our hearts and in our light. We’re calling on our allies across communities of color to stand with us in grief and solidarity against racist violence in all its forms. When our most vulnerable community members are targeted, we all need to band together,”  shared Stephanie Cho, Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta.

While the details of the shootings are still emerging, the broader context cannot be ignored. The shootings happened under the trauma of increasing violence against Asian Americans nationwide, fueled by white supremacy and systemic racism. While anti-Asian violence is woven throughout our nation’s history, the Trump administration’s relentless scapegoating of Asians for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased the incidences of hate and violence against Asian Americans around the country. According to the most recent data, hate incidents targeting Asian Americans rose by nearly 150% in 2020, with Asian American women twice as likely to be targeted. Stop AAPI Hate received 3,800 reports of anti-Asian hate since March 2020 to February 2021, with 35% of discriminatory acts happening at businesses and with women reporting hate incidents twice as men.

“That the Asian women murdered yesterday were working highly vulnerable and low-wage jobs during an ongoing pandemic speaks directly to the compounding impacts of misogyny, structural violence, and white supremacy,” said Phi Nguyen, Litigation Director at Asian American Advancing Justice – Atlanta.

In Georgia, as in many states across the country, systemic disinvestment from and criminalization of communities of color means that we do not have the infrastructure or resources in place for effective community safety, a robust social service safety net, and in-language support. In addition, white supremacy devalues the lives and experiences of immigrant communities, Black communities, and other communities of color while heightening xenophobia and divisions among us. At a time where we could be building bridges of understanding and support, white supremacy continues to diminish our already fractured society.

During this time of crisis for our AAPI community, we call on our local and state government to provide robust and responsive crisis intervention resources, including in-language support for mental health, legal, employment, and immigration services. It is time for Georgia to invest in transformative justice that begins with cross racial dialogue and community-building that address the root causes of violence and hate.

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. For more information about Advancing Justice-Atlanta, visit https://advancingjustice-atlanta.org.