China defends exchange program after Harvard professor's conviction

China defended its education exchange programs on Wednesday after a Harvard University professor was convicted of lying to federal authorities about his affiliation with China.

On Tuesday, longtime Harvard chemistry professor Charles Lieber was convicted on six counts relating to his failure to disclose his connections and financial earnings from China. He faces significant jail time and hefty fines as a result.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian declined to comment specifically on Lieber's case but reiterated China's objection to the "repression of scientists and damage to normal China-US scientific and technological exchange."

"I want to stress that China's people-to-people exchange and cooperation with other countries is essentially no different from the common practice of other countries, including the U.S., and that U.S. government institutions and politicians should not stigmatize this," said Zhao.

"The U.S. should do more that benefits scientific and technological cooperation and people-to-people exchange between China and the U.S.," he added.

According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Lieber was a participant of China's Thousand Talents Plan and was also a "Strategic Scientist" at the Wuhan University of Technology. While in China, Lieber opened a bank account through which he was paid at least $10,000, which he did not report to the IRS as is required for foreign financial accounts.

In 2018, the DOJ under the Trump administration launched the "China Initiative," a directive to seek out economic Chinese spies in the U.S. The program has repeatedly criticized for disproportionately targeting Asian university professors without sufficient evidence. Numerous groups and individuals have called on the Biden administration to terminate the program.