White House Weighs Imposing Restrictions on Researchers from China

The Trump administration is considering measures to restrict Chinese citizens from engaging in sensitive research at American universities. According to a report by the New York Times, the Administration cites concerns that Chinese researchers may be acquiring American intellectual secrets and sharing them with the Chinese. American officials suspected espionage when China reportedly tested an “invisibility cloak” that would allow fighter planes to become undetectable under radar screens - an advancement that is believed to be aided by American intellectual knowledge. A Chinese researcher, after working on a similar technology at Duke University in 2008, returned to China and started a research institute that worked on related projects. While studying in the U. S., the researcher was investigated by the FBI but never charged with a crime, after his supervisor became suspicious that he was trying to share the technology he was studying with his colleagues in China. The White House, concerned about China’s growing technological capacity, is considering measures such as limiting access of Chinese citizens to the U. S. by restricting certain types of visas and expanding rules related to Chinese researchers working on military or intelligence related projects at American companies and universities. This proposal could be part of a larger package of measures that target China economically and, according to the Administration, are necessary to address a growing ...
Source: Public Policy Reports - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: news