The China Initiative was an effort to prosecute perceived Chinese spies in American research and industry, with the aim of combating economic espionage. The program targeted scientific researchers and academics affiliated with China, but no one was ultimately convicted or charged with spying (although there were other less severe convictions).
Criticism of the initiative is abundant (critics claim it is ineffective, inconsistent, and racially biased). For a comprehensive analysis of cases and their outcomes, see this article from MIT Technology Review.
