DoJ drops China Initiative which ‘fuelled intolerance’
The US government is dropping its ‘China Initiative’, launched in 2018 to address the ‘multi-faceted threat’ from the People’s Republic of China, because its one-country emphasis led to bias and misperceptions. So said Assistant Attorney General Matthew Olsen, addressing an audience in Washington, DC on 23 February.
Launching the China Initiative in 2018, the US Department of Justice said,
‘About 80 percent of all economic espionage prosecutions brought by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) allege conduct that would benefit the Chinese state, and there is at least some nexus to China in around 60 percent of all trade secret theft cases.
‘The Department of Justice’s China Initiative reflects the strategic priority of countering Chinese national security threats and reinforces the President’s overall national security strategy. The Initiative was launched against the background of previous findings by the Administration concerning China’s practices.’
But in his speech, Olsen said that the government had heard concerns from the civil rights community ‘that the “China Initiative” fueled a narrative of intolerance and bias.’
He said, ‘To many, that narrative suggests that the Justice Department treats people from China or of Chinese descent differently. The rise in anti-Asian hate crime and hate incidents only heightens these concerns. The Department is keenly aware of this threat and is enhancing efforts to combat acts of hate…There are also increasing concerns from the academic and scientific community about the department’s pursuit of certain research grant fraud cases. We have heard that these prosecutions — and the public narrative they create — can lead to a chilling atmosphere for scientists and scholars that damages the scientific enterprise in this country.’
Olsen said that after he had taken office, the Department undertook a review of the initiative, adding,
‘While I remain focused on the evolving, significant threat that the government of China poses, I have concluded that this initiative is not the right approach. Instead, the current threat landscape demands a broader approach. I want to emphasize my belief that the department’s actions have been driven by genuine national security concerns. But by grouping cases under the China Initiative rubric, we helped give rise to a harmful perception that the department applies a lower standard to investigate and prosecute criminal conduct related to that country or that we in some way view people with racial, ethnic or familial ties to China differently.’
He said, ‘Make no mistake, we will be relentless in defending our country from China. The Department will continue to prioritize and aggressively counter the actions of the PRC government that harm our people and our institutions. But our review convinced us that a new approach is needed to tackle the most severe threats from a range of hostile nation-states.’
Read the speech at:
