Protecting Innocent Chinese Am. Scientists &
Our Nation's Science Opportunity
Why will Innocent Chinese Am. scientists need protection? For all of us to fully appreciate the seriousness of the situation, the best way to answer this question is to ask another question!
Why would the top leadership (Chancellors, Presidents together with Provosts) of 4 top universities each issue a campus-wide communication to protect innocent international scientists, including Chinese & Chinese-Am researchers, all within the last 3 months? The institutions are U.C. Berkeley, Stanford, the Univ. of Michigan and U.C. Davis. To read the respective statements, click on (1), (2), (3) and (4).
The gist of those 4 statements point to these main points: Advancement in science needs international collaboration. However, America's domestic politics, fanned by worsening U.S.-China relations, is causing some of our compatriots to think negatively of Chinese-Am & Chinese scientists and those who legally collaborate with institutions in China. The top administrators warned us to beware of "our nation's own dark history - an automatic suspicion of people based on their national origin" that led to "terrible injustices."
Their wise words deserve nation-wide attention. Hence, 80-20 EF issues a
CALL TO ACTION:
each campus together withtheir colleagues, and students to lead a request for the top administrators on their own campus to jointly issue a similar statement. Please get it done quickly to serve as role models for all other Chinese Am profs. We'd love to hear about your effect and results, which EF will publicize.
|
Will just asking others to protect us be sufficient? Of course NOT!
We must do our our share, if we don't want to be victims. There is an unpleasant task that can be done by us ONLY -- strong condemnation of those Chinese-Am or Chinese scientists, who for personal financial or career gains, stole America's secrets and/or violated the requirements of the granting institutions. These bad apples have placed all of us who are innocent in jeopardy. We must sweep them out of our community.
"To every action, there is a Reaction" - a potential disastrous
Opportunity Cost to the U.S.
If the current repressive atmosphere against innocent scientists continues for long, top-notch scientists of Chinese ancestry will leave the U.S. en masse, In addition, few top-notch Chinese scientists will choose the U.S. institutions to do their research. Such talks of staying away from the U.S. is only a trickle today. But it could become a flood tomorrow. We don't want to see the U.S. pay a prohibitive "Opportunity Cost" in science and technology in years to come. That is why part of our subject title is "Protecting Our Nation's Science Opportunity."
S. B. Woo
