(Excerpt from The Chronicle of Higher Education)

• The U.S. Department of Justice is ending a Trump-era investigation of national-security threats from China following several failed prosecutions of American university researchers for their ties to China.
• Matthew Olsen, assistant attorney general for national security, announced the end of the China Initiative in a speech Wednesday afternoon at George Mason University, saying that it “fueled a narrative of intolerance and bias.”
• In his remarks, Olsen acknowledged that the government probe of academic and espionage had taken a particular toll on American higher education and on scientists of Chinese and Asian descent. “We have heard that these prosecutions — and the public narrative they create — can lead to a chilling atmosphere for scientists and scholars that damages the scientific enterprise in this country,” he said.
• Higher-education, civil-rights, and Asian American groups had pushed for a reconsideration of the China Initiative, and Olsen had begun a review when he took office in the fall.
• Sarah Spreitzer, assistant vice president for government relations at the American Council on Education, said the end of the China Initiative was “welcome news” that brings the Justice Department “more in line” with other federal agencies in terms of policies for research transparency and integrity.
• Spreitzer noted that the White House recently issued research-security guidancelaying out and standardizing disclosure requirements for universities and scientists receiving federal grants, including contracts, funding, and other ties from overseas entities.
• Although the China Initiative is ending, the White House guidelines are a reminder that university researchers, particularly those who undertake international academic collaborations, will continue to operate in an environment of heightened scrutiny.