The case against Chen was one of the most prominent examples of the China Initiative, which was launched in 2018 during the Trump administration. China has been actively attempting to steal American technology, including by recruiting foreign scientists as "nontraditional collectors." However, many of the prosecutions resulting from this initiative, like the one against Chen, did not accuse the researchers of espionage or stealing intellectual property. Instead, they focused on a more technical violation: failing to disclose Chinese affiliations in grant proposals to US funding agencies. These prosecutions have been criticized for targeting scientists based on their ethnicity and for potentially going too far by blurring 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 the final week of President Trump's term, and was charged with not disclosing 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 the charges. Recently, Department of Energy officials 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 changing the name of the China Initiative, which was started by officials from multiple administrations who have expressed concerns about China's efforts to gain global power through intellectual property theft. They feared that Beijing could use nontraditional intelligence collectors, like professors, to obtain sensitive information under the guise of academic collaboration. The program has led to many convictions, such as 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 jury found Harvard chemist Charles Leiber guilty of six felonies, including making false statements and not reporting income from China, after a quick deliberation. However, some cases against academics have fallen apart, like the trial of Anming Hu, a University of Tennessee engineering professor, which ended in acquittal due to lack of evidence of intentional fraud. The Justice Department has also dropped seven cases against researchers recently. The most notable case so far to be dismissed involves Chen, who became a US citizen in 2000 and is a respected scientist with strong support from his university. Chen, who has been on leave from MIT since his arrest, expressed gratitude to his friends and colleagues for their support during a difficult year, and criticized the China Initiative. He stated that while he is relieved that his ordeal is over, he is concerned about the ongoing impact of the China Initiative on the academic community and other scientists facing charges. The decision to drop the case was made after prosecutors received new information showing that the Chinese affiliations at the center of the case were not crucial to the funding agency. The new US attorney in Boston, Rachael Rollins, acknowledged the impact of charging decisions on people's lives. "As the United States attorney, I will always encourage the prosecutors in our office to conduct thorough and ongoing reviews at every stage of a case. The dismissal of today's case is a result of this process and serves the interests of justice." When Chen was arrested a year ago, the tone from the prosecutor's office was different, with allegations of loyalty to China and fraudulently obtaining federal grants. The charges filed later were more limited, including two counts of wire fraud related to failing to disclose affiliations while applying for a grant to study heat conduction. These affiliations included working as a consultant for the Chinese government and other organizations. The individual was accused of not declaring a Chinese bank account with over $10,000 and providing false information in grant disclosures. Department of Energy officials stated that the undisclosed affiliations would not have affected the grant approval. Chen's lawyer, Robert Fisher, praised witnesses who clarified misunderstandings and stated that Chen never misled the government. Fisher, from Nixon Peabody, expressed relief that the government acknowledged Chen's innocence. Our defense was simply that Gang did not commit any of the offenses he was accused of. The Biden administration officials are planning to make changes to the China Initiative soon. The Department of Justice is reviewing its approach to countering threats from the Chinese government, as directed by the attorney general. The name China Initiative might be changed and the cases may no longer be grouped together but handled by the National Security Division. There was talk of offering amnesty in the grant fraud cases, but officials are now considering resolving them 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 the initiative has strayed from its original purpose of combating espionage and has caused fear among researchers. Lelling acknowledges that the prosecutions have led to increased transparency among research scientists regarding their Chinese funding, but he also believes that the fear created by the China Initiative has been excessive. “What is deterrence? You don’t speed because you’re afraid of getting a ticket. Deterrence is about fear,” explained MIT President Rafael Reif, expressing his eagerness for Chen to resume his duties at the university. Reif acknowledged the immense burden the case had placed on Chen and his family, describing the pain and anguish experienced by those involved as unimaginable. The case has also caused ongoing distress within the community, especially for Gang’s friends, students, colleagues, and individuals of Chinese descent at MIT and beyond.