On September 16, the Committee of 100 hosted a seminar on “Trade Secrets and Economic Espionage: Legal Risks in Advancing Technology between the U.S. and China,” at Jones Day’s office in Washington, D.C.
Peter Zeidenberg, Partner, Arent Fox LLP; Sherry Chen, Hydrologist; Professor Xiaoxing Xi, Temple University; Henry Tang, Co-founder and Member, Committee of 100; Brian Sun, Member, Committee of 100 and Partner, Jones Day LLP.
The September 16 seminar began with remarks from Congresswoman Grace Meng, U.S. Representative for New York’s 6th district, on Congressional efforts to address racial profiling in economic espionage cases. Following Congresswoman Meng, C-100 member and legal expert Brian Sun gave a presentation highlighting the legal and historical context for recent economic espionage cases involving Asian Americans. After his presentation, C-100 co-founder and governor Henry Tang discussed C-100’s involvement and his own observations of the issues dating back to the Wen Ho Lee case, and its implications for the Asian American community today.
Dr. Sherry Chen, who was suspended from her job as a federal hydrologist last year, and Dr. Xiaoxing Xi, a professor at Temple University, were also present and shared their personal experiences being accused of economic espionage and the impact that these charges, now dropped, have had on their professional and personal lives. Sherry Chen detailed how she was questioned by authorities for seven hours without food after already working for six hours, and throughout the questioning, she was told that she did not need an attorney.
Peter Zeidenberg, Partner at Arent Fox LLP, represented Sherry Chen and Professor Xi, and detailed the legal context for their cases and the human impact of economic espionage investigations.
Since its inception, the Committee of 100 has been committed to pursuing the full political, social, and economic inclusion of Chinese Americans in the United States. In 1999, the Committee led a coalition to raise national awareness of the denial of due process in the Wen Ho Lee case of alleged espionage, and has since been involved in cases such as that of Sherry Chen. The Committee of 100 recently led six national Asian Pacific American organizations to issue a joint letter to Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch calling for the examination of a growing number of criminal prosecutions which appear to have elements of racial discrimination. The letter expresses support for the Congressional inquiry launched by Congressman Ted Lieu and his 21 colleagues on May 21.
Seminars such as the September 16 program are a continuation of C-100’s ongoing efforts to educate the public on a topic uniquely at the intersection of C-100’s dual mission. Launched in 2012, similar events have been held in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s Annual Convention to educate Asian American professionals in the STEM fields on the legal environment for trade secrets and economic espionage.
The Committee of 100 has issued an official press release covering this event. To see the full text of the release in English, please click here and for Chinese, please click here. The PowerPoint presentation for this seminar is available here. Download a full transcript of the event here.
See below for related news coverage of this event.
Congresswoman Grace Meng, U.S. Representative for New York’s 6th district
Brian Sun, Member, Committee of 100 and Partner, Jones Day LLP
Sherry Chen, Hydrologist
Professor Xiaoxing Xi, Temple University
Peter Zeidenberg, Partner, Arent Fox LLP; Sherry Chen, Hydrologist
Sherry Chen, Hydrologist; Professor Xiaoxing Xi, Temple University; Henry Tang, Co-founder and Member, Committee of 100
Seminar Audience
Holly Chang, Acting Executive Director, Committee of 100
RELATED PRESS COVERAGE:
Days after Spy Charges were Dropped, Temple Professor Talks at D.C. Forum | Philly.com
Chinese American Scientists: Be Careful Not to Touch the Intelligence-Gathering Land Mines (华裔科学家 小心触情搜地雷惹祸) | World Journal (世界日报)
Chinese American Scientists: Be Careful Not to Touch the Intelligence-Gathering Land Mines (在美華裔科學家 小心觸情蒐地雷惹禍) | UDN (联合新闻网)
Wen Ho Lee’s Defense Attorney Brian Sun: Chinese American Scientists Need to Be Careful Not to Touch the Intelligence-Gathering Land Mines (李文和辯護律師孫自華：華裔科學家 小心觸情蒐地雷惹禍) | Scholars Update (美国华裔教授专家网)
Xi Xiaoxing: Gratitude to the U.S. Department of Justice for Withdrawing Allegations (郗小星：感谢美国司法部撤销指控) | Voice of America (美国之音)
Female Chinese American Scientist Loses Job after Being Accused of Leaking Secrets; Committee of 100 Urges the Department of Justice to Address Racial Discrimination (美華裔女科學家被指泄密後遭解雇 “百人會”促司法部關注種族歧視) | Sinovision (美国中文网)
To see all press coverage of the Committee of 100, click here.
