Mixed messages on academic and research collaboration

Regardless of the economic and political wrangling between the U.S.A. and China, academics and researchers reinforce that research collaboration is beneficial to both countries. Lee and Haupt's study indicated that Chinese scholars are driving much of the research in science and engineering and that Chinese scholars would have forged ahead without partners in the U.S.A. Some scholars are now leaving the U.S.A. in the face of investigations of their ties to China, which ironically contributes to fulfilling China's goal of attracting Chinese scholars to return.

While China seeks status for having leading research and scholarship universities, another report indicated that its actions are undermining that aspiration. Robert Quinn, executive director of Scholars at Risk, opined that failing to protect academic freedom "poses grave personal and professional risks for Chinese scholars and students and serious academic, reputational and financial risks for foreign academic institutions that have partnerships with Chinese counterparts, in China or abroad.

Making progress in establishing international academic partnerships often involves Chinese scholars serving as visiting researchers or faculty in other countries. But these partnerships can sometimes be suspect when these visitors take initiative at the behest of the Chinese government, which was apparently the cause of Prague's Charles University firing Chinese visiting faculty. Researchers and governmental officials in the U.S.A. have sounded alarms about cultivation of Chinese scholars to steal research innovation. Jodi Black, who directs the extramural research of NIH was quoted in a meeting of academic researchers as saying, "evidence is plentiful that foreign governments are engaged in organized efforts to co-opt discoveries and ideas from American universities -- in ways that divert proprietary information, undermine peer review and 'distort our (science) funding model,' by giving grants to scientists on the payrolls of other countries that could have gone to other deserving scientists."

Ted Mitchell, President of the American Council on Education, indicated that "many higher education institutions, including those impacted by the current cases, already are taking proactive steps to confront these issues. But all of these incidents serve as a reminder of the need to redouble efforts to ensure that institutions and their faculty members are fully in compliance with the letter and spirit of all federal requirements."