By Sarah N. Lynch

WASHINGTON (Reuters] – The U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday that it will close a program focusing on Chinese espionage, intellectual property theft and counterintelligence. This shift from what one official called a narrow focus is to tackle threats from a wider range of hostile nations.

Critics say the move, which was taken by former President Donald Trump, amounts to racial profiling. It also created an atmosphere of fear and has slowed scientific research.

Matt Olsen Assistant Attorney General, National Security Division, explained that this is recognition of the limitations to China.

Olsen spoke at George Mason University’s National Security Institute, saying that “We see countries such as China and Russia becoming more aggressive, more capable in the nefarious activities they engage in.” “Our strategy now is threat-driven.”

Civil rights groups have been critical of the department’s China Initiative, which was launched in 2018. It has also faced scrutiny from members of Congress over its extensive investigation into U.S. universities professors about financial ties with China.

Olsen said that picking one country (China initiative) created in certain ways a little bit of a narrow approach, which doesn’t reflect the reality of the threat landscape. He spoke to reporters before his speech.

As part of China Initiative, at least 20 academic researchers were charged, including Charles Lieber (a Harvard University professor who was convicted of lying about his connections to China as he related to federally-funded research).

However, several cases against the department were rejected due to insufficient evidence or premise. One example was the case against Gang Chen of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who was charged with hiding Chinese ties when applying for federal grants.

Olsen explained that any attempt to give the impression that Justice uses different standards because of race or ethnicity is detrimental to the department’s efforts as well as the public.

Olsen stated that the Justice Department would have higher standards and will be more vigilant in pursuing criminal charges against academics.

Olsen said that department would not “take any tools off of the table” when it came to future cases involving researchers. He also stated that department will not abandon any cases against professors.

He said, “The department will remain behind the cases which we are currently pursuing,”

Linda Ng is the OCA’s national president. She said that her organization is cautiously optimistic about the changes but warned it shouldn’t be a “rebranding exercise.”

She added that “National security concerns should not be used to excuse the systematic stripping of civil liberties Asian Americans and Asian immigrant scientist”

New strategy for the Justice Department will focus on cases within a handful of core areas. These include protecting the country from threats from espionage and export control violations, and protecting corporate intellectual properties, private information about Americans, and defending democracy against rising threats from authoritarian regimes.

Olsen stated, “Make no mistake. We will be relentlessly defending our nation from China.”