American graduates of Yenching Academy, a master’s degree program in China’s premier Peking University, have been questioned by the FBI about their time in China, NPR reports.
At least five American Yenching graduates told NPR that they’ve been approached and questioned by members of the FBI, who were collecting intelligence on the program and trying to discern if China attempted to recruit them for espionage.
Brian Kim received a call from an FBI agent five months ago, while attending Tale Law School. The local FBI field office verified the agent’s identity, and Kim subsequently met with two agents who questioned him for an hour.
"It became clear to me, maybe three-quarters of the way through, that they were actually most interested in China," he said.
Kim added that the agents asked who recommended the program, and that he replied he heard about it from school officials while attending Princeton University as an undergraduate.
"I literally told them the Princeton fellowship office,” Kim said. "There was a moment of levity where we're just both treating this experience like, are we doing this right now?"
Yenching Academy said in a statement: "we are deeply concerned about the possible effects of unwarranted official scrutiny on the morale and career development of our alumni, and we strongly request that the U.S. government cease any intrusive or unjustified investigations of our Yenching scholars."
The FBI said in a statement: "In an attempt to fulfill our national security mission, and in the hopes of better protecting U.S. citizens, the FBI will sometimes conduct voluntary interviews with individuals who have studied or conducted research abroad, often at their request. The goal of these interviews is to identify potential security risks and to protect U.S. citizens from illegally — and perhaps unwittingly — supporting foreign government interests."
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