Nearly a month after Danhao Wang, a Chinese researcher at the University of Michigan, died following “hostile interrogation” by the US, China has now called for a “thorough investigation” into his death.
Wang, an assistant research scientist in the university’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, reportedly died on March 20 after falling from a campus building.
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Who was Danhao Wang?
Wang was a research assistant in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Michigan. According to his LinkedIn profile, he listed himself as a postdoctoral researcher who had been at the university since August 2022.
Before that, Wang spent nearly five years at the University of Science and Technology of China. He received his doctorate in electrical engineering and electronics. According to ResearchGate, Wang’s work has appeared in publications 112 times. According to the platform, Wang’s research included electrical engineering, materials science, chemistry and photonics. He worked on the study and development of semiconductor materials, with a special focus on III-nitride thin films and nanostructures used in advanced electronic and optoelectronic devices.
What did the US say about Wang’s death?
The Michigan Daily reported that the University of Michigan’s Division of Public Safety and Security is investigating his death as a “possible act of self-harm.” According to reports, the Chinese researcher was questioned by United States police authorities about his research shortly before his death.
According to a statement from the Division of Public Safety and Security: “On March 19 at approximately 11:00 p.m., officers from the University of Michigan Police Department responded to a report of a subject who had fallen into the George G. Brown building.” He added: “A faculty research assistant was found after falling from an upper floor and later pronounced dead.”
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China’s reaction to Wang’s death
While US officials say the incident will be investigated as an act of possible self-harm, Beijing has called for a thorough investigation. In a report published in Xinhua on March 27, Lin Jian, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, urged the US to investigate the incident. Without naming Wang, Jian referred to him as “a Chinese postdoctoral scholar who took his own life a day after being subjected to hostile interrogation by American police officers.”
In a post on X, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry described the incident as “hostile”. Criticizing the U.S. over the interrogation and harassment, he wrote, “The heartbreaking death of a Chinese postdoctoral scholar who took his own life after being subjected to hostile interrogation by U.S. police officers once again calls into question the impact and legitimacy of warrantless U.S. interrogation and harassment targeting Chinese researchers and students.”
Separately, in a post on X, the Chinese Consulate in Chicago criticized Washington for its “unreasonable” interrogation of Chinese students and scholars. It read: “China solemnly calls on the US to conduct a full investigation, provide a responsible explanation to the victim’s family and the Chinese side, stop any discriminatory law enforcement targeting Chinese students and scholars in the US, and stop enforcing unjustified convictions.”
The questioning comes at a time of increased scrutiny of Chinese students and scholars in the US, who are reportedly being targeted by the federal government over alleged national security concerns. Citing critics, The Michigan Daily reported that the government’s actions were described as xenophobic, saying they selectively highlighted the actions of a small number of individuals to paint all Chinese nationals in a suspect light.
