Prompt firing of Chinese-American professor causes widespread concerns

The prompt firing of a Chinese-American professor by Indiana University, or IU, has caused concern among the community of Asian American scholars that the infamous "China Initiative" might be coming back.

Xiaofeng Wang, a tenured professor, had worked at IU for 20 years. On March 28, his two houses were searched by the FBI, and he was fired by the university the same day.

His wife Nianli Ma, an analyst at IU library, was also fired by the university without notice and explanation.

According to reports, the university questioned Wang in December about why he was listed on a 2017-18 grant in China that he allegedly had not disclosed to IU.

In a virtual meeting hosted by the Asian American Scholar Forum on Monday, MIT Professor Gang Chen said what Wang and Ma are going through had him wondering "if the 'China Initiative' has in fact returned, especially given some of the legislations in the Congress trying to bring back officially the 'China Initiative' under different names."

Chen faced FBI charges of hiding his links to China in 2021. Like Wang, his home was raided by the FBI. Even though the case was dropped by the FBI later, he and his family, his research, his reputation, his postdocs all suffered during the process.

Chen said it's particularly troubling that Indiana University fired Professor Wang and his wife "without due process, presuming guilt instead of innocence".

Disrupting collaborations

"We know researchers collaborate all the time with different groups, and some of our collaborators bring other collaborators whom we might not know at all. In these cases, the collaborators are actually not clearly defined. Criminal investigations and the firing of researchers based on allegations of missing collaborators will stop international collaborations," Chen said.

Nianli Ma, speaking out publicly for the first time since the firing, said her husband and she "have been the victims of government search warrants and misplaced accusations of academic misconduct".

"Every morning, I wake up thinking it must be a bad dream. I just can't understand how the university, to which we dedicated over two decades of our lives, could treat us like this, without even telling us why or going through due process," Ma said. "It hurts deeply that a country we trusted and contributed to for so long now treats us like criminals."

Chen said the investigations on Professor Wang and his firing created a huge fear among researchers of Chinese descendants, from professors to students and postdocs.

"It is clear that such events, together with the legislation and hostile rhetoric, are driving out these talents and deterring them from coming."

Congresswoman Grace Meng from New York assured Asian American scholars that the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus will continue to track developments of anti-China legislation introduced in Congress.

"The important contributions of our Asian-American scientists and academic community should be encouraged and celebrated, not unjustly targeted," she said.

Meng said when the "China Initiative" was active, "the program was not only incredibly ineffective but also led to numerous instances of racial profiling and discrimination against Asian American and Asian immigrant scientists, researchers and academics."

Besides ruining the lives and livelihoods of those who were falsely charged, these actions also resulted in a brain drain of scientists, Meng said.