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Looking at the linked article[0], it looks like this is the result of a broader investigation into any undisclosed foreign ties, but it that the Chinese influen

by xjwm 6y ago

Looking at the linked article[0], it looks like this is the result of a broader investigation into any undisclosed foreign ties, but it that the Chinese influence has been disproportionately large. Lelling rejects criticism that the department has unfairly targeted ethnic Chinese people and other Asian Americans. “Dr. Lieber is probably the most prominent academic charged in this kind of case so far,” Lelling says, “and he is not a Chinese national, nor is he of Chinese descent.” But Lelling says China’s aggressive efforts to become the world leader in many high-tech fields has meant devoting more resources to tracking those of Chinese ancestry. [0] https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/us-prosecutor-leading-china-probe-explains-effort-led-charges-against-harvard-chemist https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/02/us-prosecutor-leadin...

coliveira 6y ago
Of course this investigation was only started because they already had the goal of targeting supposed "Chinese influence". I wonder if this would even be news if they finally found that there was a lot of American researchers with ties British universities.
- cgriswald 6y ago
  You wonder about British universities, because you are arguing under the assumption that race is the relevant factor, but your argument is weak. If you thought your argument was strong, you'd normalize across other significant variables, including the adversarial nature of the relationship between the United States and China. Then you'd pick a place like Russia instead, whose people are largely white, like in Britain, but whose government has an adversarial relationship with the United States. Of course, you know the response to finding out about undisclosed ties to Russia would be roughly the same.
  - CommiesReeee 6y ago
    Picking Russia would be the same as picking China. You find nothing suspicious about the fact that the first President with an Eastern European wife was investigated for nonexistent "Russian ties", but previous presidents' ties with the Saudis have been mostly ignored?
- ipsocannibal 6y ago
  Again what is with your almost intentional disregard for the point. It would be news, although less so, if undisclosed ties to the British government had been found. They haven't, however several to the Chinese government have. Disclosure is the issue here not the ties themselves. You sound like a 50 Cent Party propagandist at this point.

by xjwm 6y ago

coliveira 6y ago

Of course this investigation was only started because they already had the goal of targeting supposed "Chinese influence". I wonder if this would even be news if they finally found that there was a lot of American researchers with ties British universities.

cgriswald 6y ago
You wonder about British universities, because you are arguing under the assumption that race is the relevant factor, but your argument is weak. If you thought your argument was strong, you'd normalize across other significant variables, including the adversarial nature of the relationship between the United States and China. Then you'd pick a place like Russia instead, whose people are largely white, like in Britain, but whose government has an adversarial relationship with the United States. Of course, you know the response to finding out about undisclosed ties to Russia would be roughly the same.
- CommiesReeee 6y ago
  Picking Russia would be the same as picking China. You find nothing suspicious about the fact that the first President with an Eastern European wife was investigated for nonexistent "Russian ties", but previous presidents' ties with the Saudis have been mostly ignored?
ipsocannibal 6y ago
Again what is with your almost intentional disregard for the point. It would be news, although less so, if undisclosed ties to the British government had been found. They haven't, however several to the Chinese government have. Disclosure is the issue here not the ties themselves. You sound like a 50 Cent Party propagandist at this point.