US driving Chinese scientists away amid tensions with China: FP

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Foreign Policy
14 Jul 2023 14:43

Things appear to be taking a turn now that the US academic climate is becoming more tense.

In this Monday, March 2, 2020, file photo, microbiologist Xiugen Zhang runs a Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, test at the Connecticut State Public Health Laboratory, in Rocky Hill, Conn (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

A report by Foreign Policy on Friday revealed that the US is experiencing an outflux of Chinese scientists amid heightened tensions with Beijing.

According to the report, tensions between the two countries have been complicating academic collaboration and are driving Chinese researchers and scientists in the US to look for work elsewhere.

For several decades, Chinese scientists have made considerable advances to research efforts in the US, notably in the fields of technology and science.

But things appear to be taking a turn now that the academic climate is becoming more tense, adding to the fact that Beijing is ramping up efforts to recruit and retain its nationals.

According to a recent study, the number of Chinese scientists who have left the US between 2010 and 2021 has increased steadily, with forecasts pointing out major consequences to US research efforts if the downward trend continues to take its course.

"Scientists of Chinese descent in the United States now face higher incentives to leave the United States and lower incentives to apply for federal grants," the report said. There are "general feelings of fear and anxiety that lead them to consider leaving the United States and/or stop applying for federal grants."

"It’s absolutely devastating," David Bier, the associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, told FP. "So many of the researchers that the United States depends on in [the] advanced technology field are from China, or are foreign students, and this phenomenon is certainly going to negatively impact US firms and US research going forward."

The matter comes to light amid a global trade the US has been waging against China for several years now.

The US has been actively pressuring countries across the globe to purchase semiconductors and other advanced technologies from Chinese firms in China, instead advocating for the domestic manufacture of microchips via the promotion of the CHIPS Act.

The US says products made by its companies are being utilized in Chinese military and surveillance programs, prompting the government to offer incentives, including grants and tax credits, for chip makers who start up their operations in the US.

However, the US still benefits from setting up factories in China as companies utilize favorable conditions to source raw materials and package and assemble their products in the country.

On the other hand, China remains a major consumer of chips, since the technology goes into many of its products including smartphones, home appliances, cars, and computers.

"China is the world’s largest market for semiconductors, and our companies simply need to do business there to continue to grow, innovate and stay ahead of global competitors," John Neuffer, the president of the Semiconductor Industry Association, told the New York Times on July 10. He added, "We urge solutions that protect national security, avoid inadvertent and lasting damage to the chip industry, and avert future escalations."