China poaching top scientists from US nuclear lab to develop hypersonic missiles: Report

China is poaching dozens of scientists working in American nuclear labs, in an effort to aid Beijing's hypersonic missiles programme. As per a report from Strider Technologies, a private intelligence firm, 162 Chinese scientists who worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory, returned to China to work on Beijing's hypersonic missiles. Los Alamos National Laboratory is the place where research on nuclear bombs was conducted. 

This report comes after reports of former Royal Air Force fighter pilots working for China came into light. The former RAF pilots are reportedly receiving a salary of £240,000 to train China's air force and help enhance the tactics and capabilities of Chinese fighter pilots. This information was disclosed by British intelligence sources to The Sun newspaper. 

The study by Strider Technologies mentions that the Chinese scientists worked in American nuclear labs from 1987 to 2021 and are now returning to China to work on "domestic research and development programmes". Beijing poached these scientists by reportedly offering them a salary of $1 million dollar, along with generous research grants. 80 percent of those who returned were integrated into the Chinese research community as a part of Beijing's flagship Thousand Talents Program. 

What is the Thousand Talents Program? 

The Thousand Talents Plan is a Chinese government program whose goal is to bring sharp scientists and engineers from around the world into China and make them work on projects that increase China's comprehensive power. The programme was introduced in 2008 and it has reportedly recruited thousands of scientists from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, Canada, Japan, France and Australia, as per a report from the Conversation. In 2019, the US Senate Committee declared it a threat to America's national interest. The plan's aim is to make China the dominant science and technological power by the year 2050. 2019 was the first year when China overtook the US in filing the most number of international patents. 

According to the report by Strider Technologies, one of the scientists who has returned to China, was offered $20 million by the US government in research grants, to develop warheads. This scientist has been granted top level security clearance and now this scientist has returned to China and joined the Thousand Talents Program. Another scientist who worked in Los Alamos, reportedly filed a patent for an "ultra-thick penetrating warhead" after returning to China.