Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC Condemns Bill Aiming to Reinstate Failed “China Initiative”
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WASHINGTON, D.C. – On March 26, the House Judiciary Committee advanced the Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from the CCP Act (H.R. 1468), which seeks to effectively reinstate the long-discredited and now-defunct “China Initiative” under a different name.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC (Advancing Justice – AAJC) issues the following statement in response:
“It is disheartening that elected leaders continue to push forward a racist and discriminatory program that was proven to be ineffective at protecting national security. Under the first iteration of the ‘China Initiative federal prosecutors often brought cases not for economic espionage, but for administrative or disclosure-related violations. Despite the extensive resources, many of these cases resulted in dismissals, acquittals, or dropped charges, raising concerns about the program’s effectiveness and impact on civil liberties.
“Instead of protecting our country, the ‘China Initiative’ fueled division and upended the lives of Asian American scientists. It damaged scientific leadership based on stereotypes, chilled recruitment and curbed the United States’ competitiveness on a global scale. The program sent a message to the world that international academics and scholars are not welcome and are to be viewed with constant suspicion and baseless distrust. Anti-Asian hate incidents remain high, at nearly three times the pre-pandemic level. Programs such as the ‘China Initiative’ would only put our communities at greater risk.
“We urge lawmakers not to repeat history and to oppose any legislation that codifies racist attacks. Any effort to reestablish the ‘China Initiative’ in practice will only disproportionately ruin the careers of Asian American academics and further undermine our country’s innovativeness.”
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