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US-China relations
OpinionLetters

LettersUniversity of Michigan must stand up for its Chinese scholars

Readers discuss cases involving researchers at a US university, and the International Olympic Committee’s gender testing requirement

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Chinese semiconductor researcher Wang Danhao died at the University of Michigan last month, reportedly after he was questioned by US federal law enforcement. Photo: Handout
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On behalf of California Scholars for Academic Freedom, an organisation of over 200 scholars in higher education in California dedicated to the defence of academic freedom, we would like to draw attention to cases involving Chinese scholars associated with the University of Michigan.

To the cases of Jian Yunqing and Han Chengxuan as well as those of Bai Xu, Zhang Zhiyong and Zhang Fengfan, which were related to biological materials that were brought into the country, we must now add the tragic death of Dr Wang Danhao after falling from a building on the University of Michigan campus in March.
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Acclaimed as a brilliant researcher with a bright future ahead of him, Dr Wang’s sudden demise reportedly was preceded by an intensive interrogation session by federal investigators.

We see no indication that the University of Michigan has done much to rectify its lack of support for its Chinese scholars in the face of heavy-handed tactics employed by federal authorities.

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We are especially disturbed by the silence of the University of Michigan administration. To our knowledge, an email on Dr Wang’s death was only sent to the College of Engineering over a week after it occurred.

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