US House lawmakers abandon bid to bring back controversial China Initiative
Advocacy groups hail decision to remove provision aiming to reinstate programme accused of unfairly targeting Chinese-American researchers
Last September, the proposal to “direct the re-establishment of the China Initiative” was included as a measure to “counter China and maintain America’s competitive edge” in the financial year 2026 appropriations bill approved by the House Committee on Appropriations.
“The removal of this language is an important affirmation that national security policies must be rooted in evidence, fairness and respect for American values and freedoms,” Perez Kusakawa said.
John Yang, president of Asian Americans Advancing Justice, said anti-Asian hate levels in the US remained at historic highs.
“We are encouraged to see that Congress listened to our concerns and removed language that sought to unfairly target Chinese-American and Chinese immigrant scientists, researchers and academics under the guise of national security,” Yang said.