As tensions with China rise, scientists at America’s leading universities complain of stalled research after crackdown at airports

Stopped at the border, interrogated on national security grounds, laptops and mobile phones checked, held for several hours, plans for future research shattered. ⠀

Earlier this month the Chinese embassy in Washington said more than 70 students “with legal and valid materials” had been deported from the US since July 2021, with more than 10 cases since November 2023. The embassy said it had complained to the US authorities about each case. ⠀

“The impact is huge,” says Qin Yan, a professor of pathology at Yale School of Medicine in Connecticut, who says that he is aware of more than a dozen Chinese students from Yale and other universities who have been rejected by the US in recent months, despite holding valid visas. Experiments have stalled, and there is a “chilling effect” for the next generation of Chinese scientists. ⠀

The refusals appear to be linked to a 2020 US rule that barred Chinese postgraduate students with links to China’s “military-civil fusion strategy”, which aims to leverage civilian infrastructure to support military development. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute thinktank estimates that 95 civilian universities in China have links to the defence sector.

Nearly 2,000 visas applications were rejected on that basis in 2021. But now people who pass the security checks necessary to be granted a visa by the State Department are being turned away at the border by CBP, a different branch of government.

“It is very hard for a CBP officer to really evaluate the risk of espionage,” said Dan Berger, an immigration lawyer in Massachusetts, who represents a graduate student at Yale who, midway through her PhD, was sent back from Washington’s Dulles airport in December, and banned from re-entering the US for five years. ⠀

Academics say that scrutiny has widened to different fields – particularly medical sciences – with the reasons for the refusals not made clear.

Archive link

  • MxM111@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    12
    arrow-down
    30
    ·
    7 months ago

    Those drugs wouldn’t be developed in the first place, if there were no IP. The system is not ideal, but I would rather address its issues than destroy everything completely. When hous is on fire, the right thing is put out the fire, not to destroy the town.

    • OurToothbrush@lemmy.mlM
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      29
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      7 months ago

      Cuba literally developed vaccines without IP nonsense, your argument kinda rings hollow

      • MxM111@kbin.social
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        arrow-down
        16
        ·
        7 months ago

        It is not impossible, but are you seriously want to compare pharmaceutical advancements of Cuba and US? You can even compare USSR and USA at the time. USSR medicine was significantly behind.

        • Match!!@pawb.social
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          15
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          7 months ago

          Cuba has 3% of the population of the US. I think it is fair to say they have disproportionately more medical advancement than expected for their population and wealth level.

          • MxM111@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            2
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            edit-2
            7 months ago

            I am not sure “advancement per person” is right metric - the more advances the much harder to make those. This is why I was suggesting to compare it to USSR - fair comparison.

          • MxM111@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            7 months ago

            Source? I would like to see how cuban pharmaceuticals are more advanced than that in US. Until you show concrete proof, I will say this is made up statement.

    • The Uncanny Observer@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      25
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      7 months ago

      Your comment is pretty ridiculous when you consider that multiple times in history, the scientists who invented vaccines or treatments that saved millions of people put those inventions into the public domain.

      The idea that without capitalism, there is no innovation, is ridiculous. Capitalism is a fairly new idea in history, you’ve just fallen for the propaganda.

    • Arelin
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      15
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      7 months ago

      When hous is on fire, the right thing is put out the fire

      The fire is the capitalist laws like IP; the “hous” is a country’s development. So yes, the fire should be put out.

    • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      8
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      edit-2
      7 months ago

      and because they’re on an instance without downvotes they’re only going to see the 7 upvotes they did get. It’s 2024 why are people still buying into capitalist realism?? All the guys pushing for it have all moved on to pushing pedo-nazi shit you should be better than this.

        • Omega_Haxors@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          7 months ago

          People pushing for capitalist realism absolutely are, and usually the nazism comes secondary to the pedophilia with those types.

          Also, relevant meme:

          • wildncrazyguy@kbin.social
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            1
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            7 months ago

            Never said communism is bad, friend, just that it’s not a good idea to be consumed by any ideological framework - that’s how you become a zealot or worse, an enabler to someone who corrupts the cause.

              • wildncrazyguy@kbin.social
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                7 months ago

                Wow, you sure got me there with your sick memes and short blasts. You can see the ills of the world cowering by the appearance of your civil discourse.

                  • wildncrazyguy@kbin.social
                    link
                    fedilink
                    arrow-up
                    1
                    ·
                    7 months ago

                    So much like a zoo monkey, you exist for the fascination of others, and the occasional casting of feces their way? I see. I’ll continue to view you from the cage you’ve made for yourself then, while keeping some distance.

    • hglman@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      7
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      People hate saving others, you really have to give them so many incentives to care. /S