America Caught Off Guard as China Develops 'Superhuman' Technology with Harvard Scientist's Help

A US scientist convicted for lying to American authorities about receiving payments from China while researching at Harvard University has rebuilt his research laboratory in Shenzhen, China. The laboratory is dedicated to pursuing technology identified by the Chinese government as a national priority: implanting a type of electronic chip into the human brain. Charles Lieber, 67, is among the world’s leading researchers in brain-computer interface studies. This technology has shown potential in treating conditions like ALS and restoring movement in paralysed patients. However, it also has potential military applications. Scientists in China’s People’s Liberation Army have been investigating brain-computer interfaces as a means to engineer ‘super soldiers’ by enhancing mental agility and situational awareness, according to a US Department of Defense report. Lieber was found guilty by a jury and sentenced in December 2021 for making false statements to federal investigators about his ties to a Chinese government programme to recruit foreign talent. He also violated tax provisions related to payments received from a Chinese university. He served two days in prison and six months of house arrest, was fined $50,000, and ordered to pay $33,600 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. During the trial, his defence claimed he was suffering from incurable lymphoma, which was in remission at the time, and was fighting for his life. Three years after his sentencing, Reuters has learned that Lieber now oversees i-BRAIN, a Chinese state-funded institute for Brain Research, Advanced Interface, and Neurotechnology, with access to specialised nanofabrication equipment and primate research infrastructure unavailable to him at Harvard. The laboratory is part of the Shenzhen Academy of Medical Research and Translation, or SMART. ‘I arrived on 28 April 2025 with a dream and not much else, perhaps a few bags of clothes,’ Lieber said about his move to China at a Shenzhen government conference in December. ‘Personally, my goal is to make Shenzhen the world leader.’