The War for Chinese Talent in America

In the mid-1990s, China’s hope for a “reverse brain drain” of overseas scientists, academics, and entrepreneurs stalled. So, in 2001, Jiang Zemin introduced China’s ‘Diaspora Option,’ to encourage PRC-born Chinese living abroad to “serve the country” without “returning to the country.” Through an array of programs these former citizens have transferred their knowledge back home, some to strengthen their former homeland, others from self-interest.

In 2018, the Trump Administration declared war on China’s efforts to access this information through the “China Initiative.” Hundreds of Chinese were investigated, their research was disrupted, and more than 100 were fired. Yet almost none were found guilty of espionage or theft of intellectual property.

This seminar documents China’s “over-the-top” effort to gain the help of these talented Chinese, as well as the US government’s harsh effort to disrupt the transfer of US technology to China. It tells the stories of unknown victims of that campaign. It also highlights the harm this war has brought to Sino-American scientific collaboration. 

This seminar is part of a book talk for "The War for Chinese Talent in America: The Politics of Technology and Knowledge in Sino-US Relations", purchase a copy at https://cup.columbia.edu/serie...

Use discount code CHAT and receive a 20% discount!

About the Speaker

David Zweig (Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1983) is Professor Emeritus, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Taipei School of Economics and Political Science, National Tsinghua University, Taiwan. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard in 1984-85. Since 1991, he has surveyed returned returnees around China, and those who remained abroad. He has been an expert witness for two Chinese charged under the “China Initiative.” He has authored or edited ten books, including Internationalizing China.