CAPAC Members Applaud the Second Anniversary of the Termination of the China Initiative
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two years ago today, Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen announced changes to the Department of Justice’s “China Initiative,” including a change in name and focus to more accurately reflect the global security challenges facing the U.S. without singling out China. In over three years of investigations, over 150 defendants, and at least 77 cases, the China Initiative secured just one single conviction in a court of law. Prior to the program’s termination, Members of the Congressional Asian Pacific America Caucus (CAPAC) met with Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation officials to express concerns about the program, including its use of racial profiling and the resulting harms it caused the Asian American community.
Members of CAPAC issued the following statements:
CAPAC Chair Rep. Judy Chu (CA-28):
“The Trump-era China Initiative was as shameful as it was ineffective. Many of the charges brought against individuals under the program centered on fraud—not trade secret theft—and none of those accused of fraud had been found to have spied for China. The initiative instead profiled innocent scholars on the basis of their ethnicity, and even produced a case in which FBI agents admitted under oath to fabricating evidence. While the program’s allegations of espionage from Asian American researchers were ultimately proven to be false, they continue to ruin the careers and livelihoods of many and contribute to the pernicious narrative that Asian Americans are untrustworthy ‘forever foreigners.’ That is why, after years of advocacy from CAPAC members and community leaders, I remain grateful to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen for their decision to sunset the China Initiative. And despite Republican efforts to reinstate this program, we must work tirelessly to ensure that the China Initiative or any program that relies on xenophobic profiling of our communities will not be permitted to exist again.”
CAPAC First Vice-Chair Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06):
“The Trump-era Department of Justice’s China Initiative purported to combat national security threats from abroad and protect our academic research. It did not achieve this goal. Instead, an alarming number of cases brought were so weak that they ended in dropped charges. The China Initiative left a trail of ruined lives of targeted researchers of Chinese descent and chilled academic freedom for all. It is extremely concerning that Republicans are now attempting to reinstate this program. I urge my colleagues in Congress to think about how we can protect the United States against national security threats—without retreating to xenophobia.”
CAPAC Whip Rep. Ted Lieu (CA-36):
“Two years ago, the Department of Justice ended the discriminatory and xenophobic China Initiative, which unjustly targeted professors and academics because of their ethnicity. Some of these individuals were falsely accused of spying for China, resulting in innocent lives being turned completely upside down. Discriminatory targeting of Asian Americans is sadly not new. Despite countless contributions to our country’s history and culture, Asian Americans are still sometimes subject to the racist “perpetual foreigner” myth. The China Initiative was a shameful iteration of that kind of problematic thinking. While countering espionage must remain a priority for law enforcement, the government cannot profile or target innocent individuals based on their ethnicity or race.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07):
“The Trump administration’s ‘China Initiative’ was a racist stunt that did little to protect America’s national security interests and singled-out Chinese Americans for discrimination solely because of their ethnicity. This program infringed in the individual liberties of many Chinese Americans and unjustly targeted individuals of Asian descent working in academia. I was glad to see the Biden administration’s Department of Justice end this framework last year, a major step toward equality and fairness for the AAPI community. We must continue working to both protect individual freedoms and defend our country from espionage and other external threats.”
Rep. Andy Kim (NJ-03):
“Two years ago the Department of Justice took the right step and ended the divisive, Trump-era “China Initiative” program. It is vital that we learn from our nation’s past mistakes and do not wrongfully target people based on their race or ethnicity. While we work to keep Americans safe and tackle our greatest threats abroad, we must never lose sight that prejudice and hate only create division and weakness, and never security or strength.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (MD-08):
“Two years ago, the Biden Administration ended Donald Trump’s ‘China Initiative,’ a flawed program that capsized the careers of many innocent Chinese American researchers and spread great fear in the broader Asian American community. When CAPAC Chair Chu and I heard the alarming reports of Chinese American scientists wrongfully accused of being spies for the Chinese government, and the effect this ethnic profiling had on the wider Asian American community—including information brought by my constituents and my good friend Susan Lee, who was then serving in the Maryland Senate—we launched a thorough Congressional investigation and exposed a pattern of profiling that put targets on the backs of a lot of innocent Americans. I’m pleased that the Biden Administration promptly ended this program, demonstrating the President’s ongoing commitment to a system of government that promotes justice over bigotry and treats all Americans with dignity and respect.”
Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38):
“Two years ago, the Department of Justice ended the “China Initiative”. This Trump era program unjustly targeted Chinese Americans, including many members of the scientific and academic community. I will continue to stand with CAPAC as they protect our AAPI community from racial profiling.”