White House Considers Restricting Chinese Researchers Over Espionage Fears – The New York Times

WASHINGTON — It sounds like something out of a science fiction movie: In April, China is said to have tested an invisibility cloak that would allow ordinary fighter jets to suddenly vanish from radar screens.

This advancement, which could prove to be a critical intelligence breakthrough, is one that American officials fear China may have gained in part from a Chinese researcher who roused suspicions while working on a similar technology at a Duke University laboratory in 2008. The researcher, who was investigated by the F.B.I. but never charged with a crime, ultimately returned to China, became a billionaire and opened a thriving research institute that worked on some projects related to those he studied at Duke.

The Trump administration, concerned about China’s growing technological prowess, is considering strict measures to block Chinese citizens from performing sensitive research at American universities and research institutes over fears they may be acquiring intellectual secrets, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

The White House is discussing whether to limit the access of Chinese citizens to the United States, including restricting certain types of visas available to them and greatly expanding rules pertaining to Chinese researchers who work on projects with military or intelligence value at American companies and universities. The exact types of projects that would be subject to restrictions are unclear, but the measures could clamp down on collaboration in advanced materials, software and other technologies at the heart of Beijing’s plan to dominate cutting-edge technologies like advanced microchips, artificial intelligence and electric cars, known as Made in China 2025.

Source: White House Considers Restricting Chinese Researchers Over Espionage Fears – The New York Times

David Lindsay Jr.

Hamden, CT 

The Opium wars were a disaster for China, and they have essentially been at war with the West ever since, and with good reason. From History.com: “British troops occupying Peking, China, loot and then burn the Yuanmingyuan, the fabulous summer residence built by the Manchu emperors in the 18th century. China’s Qing leadership surrendered to the Franco-British expeditionary force soon after, ending the Second Opium War and Chinese hopes of reversing the tide of foreign domination in its national affairs.” This summer palace was like our 18 buildings of the Smithsonian Insitution, and the US Congress building, it was the largest collection of national treasures in China. So the Chinese have a goal, to conquer the West, and we need to be firm in opposing their stealing of our intellectual property. We might even have to go to war with them to prevent their taking over all of SE Asia by way of militarizing the South China Sea. But the best route is a firm, older brother, or younger brother, if you realize they were great once while we were Indian territory. Politely, we should stop letting them into our most sensitive scientific and military related laboratories. The TPP was a strong instrument to help the US shape trade and growth in East Asia, and steer China to fairer practices for US etc David Lindsay Jr. is the author of “The Tay Son Rebellion, Historical Fiction of Eighteenth-century Vietnam,” and blogs at TheTaySonRebellion.com and InconvenientNewsWorldwide.wordpress.com