New Research Reveals Racial Profiling Among Scientists of Chinese Descent and the Consequences for the U.S. Scientific Community
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| 前美國駐中國大使駱家輝為百人會會議開場 |
The white paper “Racial Profiling Among Scientists of Chinese Descent and Consequences for the U.S. Scientific Community” showcases the survey results and data which demonstrate a consistent pattern of racial profiling in science and research. Scientists of Chinese descent and of Asian descent report far greater racial profiling from the U.S. government, difficulty in obtaining research funds, professional challenges and setbacks, and fear and anxiety that they are surveilled by the U.S. government, compared to non-Asian scientists.
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| 雅虎創辦人楊致遠也認為應關注華裔科學家在美處境 |
The survey data also shows that the China Initiative is producing a wave of fear among scientists of non-Chinese descent as well, where scientists have described cutting ties with their collaborators in China, no longer hiring Chinese postdocs, and limiting communications with scholars in China, even at the expense of their own research projects.
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| Stanford president - Marc Tessier-Lavigne |
“What is clear from this research is that U.S. 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,” said Dr. Jenny J. Lee, Professor in the Center for the Study of Higher Education, College of Education, at the University of Arizona. “We thank the Committee of 100 for teaming with us at the University of Arizona to help shed light on a significant issue that directly impacts how research across the U.S. is conducted and advanced.”
- Overall, scientists of Chinese
descent and non-Chinese descent both recognize the value of scientists of
Chinese descent and support collaboration with China. 96.8% of scientists
of Chinese descent and 93.6% of scientists of non-Chinese descent believe
that scientists of Chinese descent make important contributions to
research and teaching programs in the U.S.
- 42.2% of scientists of Chinese descent feel racially profiled by the U.S. government, while only 8.6% of scientists of non-Chinese descent feel so.
- 38.4% of scientists of Chinese descent experience more difficulty in obtaining funding for research projects in the U.S. as a result of their race/ethnicity/country of origin, compared to only 14.2% of scientists of non-Chinese descent.
- 50.7% of scientists of Chinese
descent feel considerable fear and/or anxiety that they are being
surveilled by the U.S. government, compared to only 11.7% of scientists of
non-Chinese descent.
39.7% of scientists of Chinese descent believe the U.S. should be tougher on China to prevent the theft of intellectual property, while 74.8% of scientists of non-Chinese descent feel so.郗小星教授。 - Among those who had reported
conducting research that involves China over the past 3 years, a higher
percentage of the scientists of Chinese over non-Chinese descent reported
limiting communication with collaborators in China (40.6% vs. 12.8%),
deciding not to involve China in future projects (23.8% vs. 5.8%),
and deciding not to work with collaborators in China in the future
projects (23.2% vs. 9.7%).
- Among those whose research with
China was prematurely suspended over the past three years, 78.5% of
scientists of Chinese descent wanted to distance themselves from
collaborators in China due to the China Initiative, compared to 27.3% of
scientists of non-Chinese descent.
- Among non-U.S. citizen
scientists in the sample, 42.1% of the scientists of Chinese descent
indicate that the FBI investigations and/or the China Initiative affected
their plans to stay in the U.S., while only 7.1% of the scientists of
non-Chinese descent report so.
Quotes submitted by survey participants:
“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.” (Chinese American Associate Professor, Biophysics)
“I am less willing to pursue and be involved in research funded by federal or state government agencies as such research may attract special and unjustified scrutiny by the government authorities.” (Chinese Associate Professor, Environmental Science)
“As a Chinese professor who is trained and has been working in the U.S. for nearly 20 years, these investigations and restrictions against Chinese scholars make me feel unwelcome and somewhat discriminated and I sometimes feel my Chinese identity may be the limiting factor for my career advancement in the U.S. In the past few years, I felt for the first time since I have been in the U.S. that Chinese scientists are not valued as much as before and politics is intervening academic freedom. This makes me seriously consider moving to China if the current trend continues or even worsens.” (Chinese Associate Professor, Chemistry)
“We don’t do anything wrong. Science has no borders. International collaborations should be encouraged. But under the DOJ China Initiative, who knows what will happen?” (Chinese American Professor, Mathematics)
To read the full research findings, visit https://www.committee100.org/initiatives/racial-profiling-among-scientists-of-chinese-descent-and-consequences-for-the-us-scientific-community/
