Chinese scientists and security

Many scientific and economic successes in the United States are owed to the work of foreign-born scientists. Today, a substantial percentage of U.S patents and scientific publications are contributed by Chinese-born scientists. But there is increasing concern that China is unfairly and systematically attempting to capture intellectual property, trade secrets, and advanced technologies from the United States, all detrimental to productive long-term relationships. As part of the U.S. response to these threats, tenured Chinese-American scientists at top institutions of biomedical research were recently dismissed for purported violations of disclosure rules, breaches of confidentiality, or outright suspicion of espionage. As Congress seeks to protect the open and collaborative approach to science and technology from nefarious activities of foreign states, the scientific community must weigh in on the path forward.