Initiative

Controversial U.S. China Initiative gets new name, tighter focus on industrial espionage | Science

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University scientists and civil rights groups in the United States are offering qualified praise for the federal government’s decision last week to rename and revise the China Initiative, a controversial, 3-year-old law enforcement campaign intended to prevent the Chinese government from stealing U.S.-funded technologies. “Dropping the name is good,” says Steven Pei, an electrical engineer … Read more

The Controversial China Initiative Is Ending, and Researchers Are Relieved

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The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced yesterday that it will effectively terminate the controversial China Initiative, a programme that sought to protect US laboratories and businesses from espionage. Instead, the programme will be broadened to cover other countries of concern and renamed. Scientists who spoke to Nature are relieved to see the initiative end—the programme frequently … Read more

Are we on the verge of a global initiative to clean up ocean plastics?

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A global summit on clearing up the oceans has produced big promises – is it just blah, blah, blah, or can we make the future of plastic fantastic, asks Graham Lawton Environment | Columnist 23 February 2022 By Graham Lawton Elena Valeeva/Shutterstock IN JUNE 2021, the government of the Seychelles decided it was time to … Read more

U.S. accepts plea by Arkansas scientist charged in controversial China Initiative | Science

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A former University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, engineering professor today pleaded guilty to one count of lying to FBI about his status as an inventor. In return, the U.S. government agreed to drop its efforts to prosecute him for allegedly hiding his ties to China on federal grant applications. Simon Ang is one of two dozen … Read more

Prosecutors drop China Initiative case against MIT’s Gang Chen | Science

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A federal judge has dismissed charges against Gang Chen, a professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) accused of lying about his ties to China. It was one of the highest profile cases under the government’s 3-year-old China Initiative, which is intended to prevent China from stealing U.S.-funded research. Critics of … Read more

What the Charles Lieber verdict says about U.S. China Initiative | Science

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Last week, Harvard University chemist Charles Lieber became the first academic scientist targeted by the U.S. government’s controversial 3-year-old China Initiative to be found guilty by a jury. He may also be one of the last, says Andrew Lelling, the former U.S. attorney who charged Lieber nearly 2 years ago with lying about his research … Read more