Harvard professor charged with lying about China ties goes on trial

A federal jury was selected on Tuesday in the trial of a Harvard University nanotechnology professor accused of lying to US authorities about his ties to a China-run recruitment program and concealing funding he received from the Chinese government.

The Boston jury will return on Wednesday to hear lawyers deliver opening statements in the trial of Charles Lieber, an ex-chair of Harvard's chemistry department charged in the highest-profile case to result from a US crackdown on Chinese influence within universities.

Lieber, 62, has pleaded not guilty to six false statement and tax charges. His lawyer, Marc Mukasey, has said Lieber "didn't hide anything, and he didn't get paid as the government alleges."

Prosecutors charged Lieber in January 2020 as part of the US Department of Justice's "China Initiative" it started during former President Donald Trump's administration to combat Chinese economic espionage and research theft.

President Joe Biden's administration has not backed away from the initiative, despite critics who say it went too far in pursuing academics and that it overly targeted Chinese nationals.