Contact: Holly Chang, Acting Executive Director
media@committee100.org or 212-371-6565
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The Committee of 100 Convenes Legal Experts, Prominent Chinese American Scientists for Seminar on Economic Espionage and Trade Secrets
NEW YORK, Sept. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The Committee of 100 (C-100) hosted a seminar at Jones Day’sWashington, D.C. office on September 16, 2015 on the denial of due process in economic espionage cases involving Chinese Americans and the risks in advancing technology between the U.S. and China. The seminar highlighted a growing number of criminal prosecutions which appear to have elements of racial discrimination and emphasized the need for the Department of Justice to rigorously enforce its own non-discrimination policies.
The September 16 seminar is one in a series of programs launched in 2012 by C-100. Similar events have been led by C-100 members who are legal experts in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. These seminars enhance awareness and understanding of U.S. laws governing economic espionage and trade secrets, particularly among Asian Americans professionals, government employees, and contractors in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
The program featured a presentation by C-100 member and legal expert Brian Sun, who has represented a number of high profile clients, including Dr. Wen Ho Lee, a Chinese American scientist whose case of alleged espionage received national attention for lack of due process and biased investigative procedures. Following Mr. Sun’s presentation, there was a panel discussion with C-100 co-founder Henry Tang, who played an active role in the case of Dr. Wen Ho Lee; Sherry Chen, a federal employee who was suspended from her job last year based on economic espionage charges that were then dropped by prosecutors; Dr. Xiaoxing Xi, a professor atTemple University who was charged with sharing sensitive technology with China until charges were dropped by prosecutors on Friday, September 11, 2015; and Peter Zeidenberg, Partner at Arent Fox LLP and Ms. Chen and Dr. Xi’s attorney.
“Programs such as the September 16 seminar are a continuation of C-100’s historic efforts to advance the full inclusion of Chinese Americans in American society,” says C-100 Acting Chairman Herman Li, “and complement our efforts to collaborate with leaders in Congress, other Asian Pacific American organizations, and the U.S. government to address these critical issues.”
In 1999 and 2000, the Committee led a coalition to raise national awareness of the denial of due process in the Wen Ho Lee case of alleged espionage. This year, the C-100 participated in a press conference and issued statements supporting a May 22 petition letter led by Congressman Ted Lieu and 21 of his colleagues to Attorney General Loretta Lynch expressing concern that racial profiling was involved in charges against Sherry Chen and in similar cases. On September 4, C-100 led a coalition of seven national Asian Pacific American groups to call on Attorney General Lynch to examine a growing number of criminal prosecutions with elements of racial discrimination and to work with Asian American groups to ensure the U.S. government can defend national security interests while upholding civil liberties for all Americans.
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The Committee of 100 is a U.S. 501(c)(3) leadership organization of prominent Chinese Americans in business, government, academia, and the arts. For over a quarter century, the Committee has monitored issues affecting Chinese Americans and served as a high-level bridge in the U.S.-China dialogue fostering regular exchanges with the leadership of Beijing, Taipei, and Washington. 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. C-100 leads a series of informational seminars throughout the U.S. on the complex legal environment surrounding trade secrets, economic espionage, and export controls; the next event in this series will take place on September 16, 2015 in Washington, D.C.
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百人会集聚法律专家、杰出美籍华裔科学家
就经济间谍与商业机密问题展开深入研讨
纽约,2015年9月22日/PR Newswire – US Newswire/ — 2015年9月16日,百人会在众达国际法律事务所(Jones Day)华盛顿办公室举办了一场研讨会,就牵涉美籍华裔的经济间谍案件中被告遭剥夺正当法律程序,以及促进中美两国科技交流时所存在的风险等议题进行了深入探讨。研讨会突出了一系列具有种族歧视性质的刑事控诉案件,并强调了联邦司法部严格执行其非歧视性政策的必要性。
这次于9月16日举行的研讨会是百人会自2012年以来开展的系列活动之一。类似活动包括在硅谷、旧金山、西雅图与华盛顿等地区举办的、由百人会法律领域的专家成员主讲的系列会议。这些研讨会提高了社区人士,尤其是亚裔职业人士、政府职员以及科技、工程与数学等领域的联邦承包商们,对于经济间谍与商业机密相关美国法律的意识与了解。
此次研讨会由百人会成员、法律专家孙自华(Brian Sun)主讲,孙先生曾代理过多位高知名度的客户,其中包括李文和博士(美籍华裔科学家,被指控经济间谍行为,由于案件未经正当法律程序以及侦查程序具有偏见,备受全国关注)。孙先生演讲结束之后,紧接着进行的是专题讨论环节,参与嘉宾包括百人会联合创始人邓兆祥(Henry Tang)(邓先生在李文和博士的案件中发挥了积极作用)、陈霞芬女士(联邦雇员,因经济间谍指控被迫停职,之后检察官撤消了指控)、郗小星博士(天普大学教授,被指控向中国泄露敏感技术信息,后于2015年9月11日,检察官撤消了指控),以及二位涉案人士的代理律师、Arent Fox律所合伙人Peter Zeidenberg。
“像9月16日研讨会这类的活动是百人会一直以来的使命的延续,旨在促进美籍华裔真正融入美国社会,”百人会代理会长李渊祁表示,“同时,这些活动也推动了我们与国会领袖、其他亚太美组织以及美国政府合作,共同解决这些关键问题。”
早在1999年与2000年,百人会曾领导组织联盟,促使全美更多人认识到李文和博士在被控间谍的案件中遭剥夺正当法律程序的权利。今年,百人会参与了一个新闻发布会,并公开发表声明支持于5月22日由国会议员刘云平(Ted Lieu)及其21位联邦众议员同僚向联邦司法部洛蕾塔‧林奇部长递交的请愿信。该信函对于司法部门在陈霞芬等案件中使用种族形象进行指控的现象深表担忧。9月4日,百人会联合其他六个全国性美籍亚太裔组织共同致函林奇部长,要求其对于数量不断增长的具有种族歧视性质的刑事诉讼案件进行审查,并呼吁其协同各大亚裔组织,共同确保美国政府在捍卫国家安全利益的同时,保障全体美国人的公民自由。
百人会是美国501(c)(3)非盈利领导性组织,由来自商业、政府、学术及艺术领域的杰出美籍华裔组成。25年以来,百人会密切关注影响美籍华裔的议题,并成为中美对话的高端桥梁,加强中国大陆、台湾及美国的领袖间的常规交流。百人会成员均为各领域位高权重、具有中国血统的美国公民,他们运用自身的集体影响、资源与经验,共同解决塑造中美关系并影响整个美籍华裔社区利益的重要问题。
来源:百人会