Why Chinese-American scientists in US hope the next Trump era will be better than last

As they watch to see how administration unfolds, some fear revival of China Initiative that affected academics of Chinese descent

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The re-election of Donald Trump as US president is being watched by Chinese-born scientists in America who remember the last Trump presidency as inflicting anxiety on their community. Photo: Reuters

Published: 12:00pm, 7 Nov 2024Updated: 8:49pm, 7 Nov 2024

Some China-born scientists and engineers in the United States are hopeful the second Trump presidency will recognise their contribution to American academia and scientific advances, despite the first Trump administration introducing an initiative they say brought fear and discrimination.

In addition to hope, they have expressed a mix of emotions – ranging from goodwill and cautious optimism to a sense of crisis – following Trump’s re-election as president on Tuesday.

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Shan-Lu Liu, a virologist from Ohio State University, said the Chinese-American research community recognised “the value of the democratic process in US elections” and hoped the new administration would uphold principles of science and technology, continue support for basic research and encourage international collaboration.

“The United States has benefited tremendously from the scientific contributions of immigrants, especially Asian-American, and that shouldn’t change,” Liu said on Wednesday.

However, Shun-Rong Zhang, a space weather researcher at MIT’s Haystack Observatory, said the election results had made prospects for US-China cooperation in space technology “even less optimistic”.

According to Zhang, Chinese-American scientists are increasingly concerned about a possible revival of the China Initiative, an investigation launched in 2018 by the Trump administration to counter alleged economic espionage and technological theft by China.