Date: 26Jan 2021
International Speaker Series on China’s Law & Economic Governance
Criminalizing China
The Department of Justice launched the China Initiative in November 2018 to counter national security threats emanating from the People’s Republic of China (PRC). By June 2020, the Federal Bureau of Investigation had approximately two thousand active investigations under the Initiative.
People and entities with connections to the PRC’s governing party-state structure have engaged in trade secret theft and other crimes under U.S. law. The Department of Justice is not making up a threat. It is, however, framing that threat in a problematic way.
This talk argues that using “China” as the glue connecting cases prosecuted under the Initiative’s umbrella creates an overinclusive conception of the threat and attaches a criminal taint to entities that possess “China-ness” even if they do not have a nexus to the PRC party-state. The talk further contends that, when assessed in light of the goals of deterrence, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and retribution, it is worrisome that the prosecution and punishment of people and entities rests in part on a connection with “China.” A better path is to discard the “China Initiative” framing, focus on cases’ individual characteristics, and enhance the Department of Justice’s interactions with non-governmental experts.
CHAIR
Angela Zhang, Associate Professor & Director of Centre for Chinese Law, University of Hong Kong
SPEAKER
Margaret Lewis, Professor of Law, Seton Hall University School of Law
DISCUSSANTS
David S. Law, Professor, Sir YK Pao Chair in Public Law of the University of Hong Kong