US China Initiative a ‘significant push factor’ for Chinese scientists’ exodus

The number of ethnic Chinese scientists leaving America to return to China increased 75 per cent after launch of 2018 China Initiative

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The number of Chinese-born scientists leaving the US increased 75 per cent after the launch of the 2018 China Initiative, a study has found. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 10:00pm, 25 Jul 2024Updated: 10:14pm, 25 Jul 2024

A growing number of ethnic Chinese scientists have chosen to leave America to return to China in recent years – an exodus accelerated by a US government probe which attempted to combat economic espionage but ended up prosecuting academics, a Stanford University study has found.

While most China-born, US-based scientists intend to stay in the United States, departures have grown steadily, from 900 in 2010 to 2,621 in 2021.

And since the 2018 implementation of the “China Initiative”, there has been a 75 per cent increase in Chinese scientists leaving the US, according to the team of researchers from the Stanford Centre on China’s Economy and Institutions.

Meanwhile, the percentage of those leaving the US who chose to relocate to mainland China and Hong Kong increased from 48 per cent in 2010 to 67 per cent in 2021, according to the findings published on July 15.

“Chinese immigrants have become a large and visible demographic group in American science, technology and engineering. However, the pressure of potential federal investigations since the 2018 launch of the China Initiative … have provided scientists of Chinese descent in the US with higher incentive to leave and lower incentive to apply for federal grants,” the researchers wrote.

While attracting and retaining scientific talent from China “is important for continued US leadership in science”, the team wrote, the numbers suggest achieving that “requires alleviating fears and cultivating a welcoming environment for conducting scientific research”.

The US Department of Justice reportedly investigated thousands of scientists suspected of hiding Chinese connections under the China Initiative, which was launched during former president Donald Trump’s administration. Most cases were quickly dropped due to lack of evidence, and the programme was scrapped in 2022.