Chen's case was one of the most well-known examples of the China Initiative, a program launched in 2018 during the Trump administration. China has been actively trying to steal American technology by recruiting overseas scientists as "nontraditional collectors." However, many of the prosecutions resulting from this initiative, including Chen's case, did not involve espionage or theft of intellectual property. Instead, they focused on the technical violation of not disclosing Chinese affiliations in grant proposals to US funding agencies. Critics have raised concerns about the targeting of scientists based on their ethnicity and the potential overreach of these prosecutions, which could blur the line between disclosure violations and more serious crimes like espionage. Critics in academia argue that these prosecutions have created a climate of fear among scientists of Chinese descent. Chen was arrested on Jan 14, 2021, during President Trump's last week in office, for allegedly failing to disclose affiliations with Chinese government institutions in grant applications to the US Department of Energy in 2017. He entered a plea of not guilty to all charges. Recently, officials from the Department of Energy have informed prosecutors that Chen was not required to disclose his seven affiliations, casting doubt on the basis of the charges. The Justice Department is considering dismissing cases and potentially retiring the China Initiative, which was established to address concerns about China's efforts to obtain sensitive information through nontraditional means. Officials from multiple administrations have raised alarms about China's ambitions for global power and the threats it poses to US national security and economy. The program has led to many convictions, like that of a Monsanto employee caught leaving the country with a proprietary algorithm and a Coca-Cola chemist found guilty of stealing a valuable formula. In Boston, a Harvard chemist, Charles Leiber, was convicted of various felonies including making false statements and not reporting income earned in China after a jury deliberated for less than three hours. However, some cases against academics have not been successful. Anming Hu, a University of Tennessee engineering professor, was acquitted in September due to lack of evidence of intentional fraud. The Justice Department has also dropped seven cases against researchers in recent months. The most prominent case to be dismissed so far is against Chen, a naturalized US citizen since 2000. He is an elite scientist supported by his university who has been on paid leave from MIT since his arrest. Chen expressed gratitude to friends and colleagues for their support during a difficult year and criticized the China Initiative. He believes the initiative causes unwarranted fear in the academic community. The decision to drop the case was made by the new US attorney in Boston, Rachael Rollins, after new information showed that the Chinese affiliations were not crucial to the funding agency. Rollins acknowledged the impact of charging decisions on people's lives. In my role as United States attorney, I will always encourage our office's prosecutors to conduct thorough and ongoing reviews at every stage of legal proceedings. The decision to dismiss the case today was made after careful consideration and is in the best interest of justice. When Chen was arrested a year ago, the tone from the prosecutor's office was markedly different. The initial allegations suggested a connection to loyalty to China, but the charges filed later were more limited, focusing on two counts of wire fraud related to nondisclosure of affiliations while applying for a grant. These affiliations included roles as a consultant to the Chinese government and various Chinese organizations. He was accused of not declaring a Chinese bank account with over $10,000 and giving false information in grant disclosures. Department of Energy officials indicated that the undisclosed affiliations would not have impacted the grant approval. Chen's lawyer, Robert Fisher, praised witnesses who clarified misunderstandings and stated that Chen never lied. Fisher expressed relief that the government recognized Chen's innocence. Our defense was that Gang did not commit any of the offenses he was charged with. The Biden administration is expected to announce changes to the China Initiative in the coming weeks. The Department of Justice is reviewing its approach to countering threats from the People's Republic of China. The name China Initiative may be changed, and cases may no longer be grouped together but absorbed into the National Security Division. There was initial discussion of offering amnesty in grant fraud cases, but officials are now leaning toward resolving the cases individually. Lelling, one of the creators of the China Initiative, is now advocating for the Justice Department to stop prosecuting individuals based on grant disclosures. He believes that while the initiative was meant to address espionage, it has strayed from its original purpose. Lelling expressed concerns about the fear and lack of collaboration among researchers due to the China Initiative. He acknowledged that the prosecutions of academics have led to more transparency about Chinese funding in research, but also emphasized the need for the DOJ to take a step back. Deterrence is the concept of preventing behavior by instilling fear, such as not speeding to avoid getting a ticket. MIT President Rafael Reif expressed eagerness for Chen to return to his duties at the university and acknowledged the immense burden the case had placed on him and his family. Reif stated that it was challenging to comprehend the suffering endured by good people, like Chen, and the ongoing distress felt by the MIT community, especially those of Chinese descent.