China US Illustration: Liu Rui

Former Harvard professor Charles Lieber, who was previously convicted for not disclosing ties to a Chinese institute-run science program, told the Global Times that he is exploring opportunities at several institutions, including those in Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland.

Observers noted, on Sunday, that the US' suppression and aggressive tactics against China-related talents are counterproductive to its intended self-protection and the country's new McCarthyism witch hunts are causing a brain drain.

Lieber, formerly the chairman of Harvard University's chemistry and chemical biology department, has retired from this prestigious US institute. Known for his work in nanotechnology, he was considered by some to be a potential Nobel Prize contender, according to The New York Times. 

Lieber was convicted of the charges in December 2021 following a jury trial, after which he served two days in prison, followed by two years of supervised release with six months of home confinement, as reported by The New York Times. 

Lieber told the Global Times that he is very interested in starting a research group or center that carries out world-leading research and technology transfer that benefits all people in the world. As part of this process, he would also train and support young scientists and faculty to become leaders in science and technology for the future.

Lieber is a victim of the infamous China Initiative, an effort launched in 2018 under the Trump administration, with the stated goal of investigating so-called economic espionage and trade secret theft by China, according to The New York Times.

The US Justice Department scrapped the China Initiative in 2022 after several failed prosecutions and facing criticism that it was stifling research and fostering bias against Asians. However, the department stated it would continue to pursue cases related to national security threats from China, according to Reuters.

The US' move not only kept Chinese talents away, but also created significant obstacles to international scientific exchanges by its own scientists, Lü Xiang, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

The Lieber case should serve as a warning to the US government that such overtly destructive actions are actually counterproductive to the so-called self-protection of national security and trade secrets that the US seeks, Lü said. 

Analysts said a peaceful, pure, and stable environment for academic research should be encouraged.