China to crack down on fraud in scandal-hit scientific research amid ZTE wrangle
New national guidelines spell out punishment for plagiarism, fabrication of data and research conclusions, ghostwriting and peer review manipulation
China has issued the first national guidelines to enforce academic integrity in scientific research and vowed to punish academics and institutes for misconduct such as plagiarism and fabrication of data.
The guidelines were released after President Xi Jinping on Monday called for China to become a top leader in technology innovation and to make breakthroughs in core technologies as soon as possible.
China’s reliance on the West for technology such as microchips became conspicuous after Xi personally asked US President Donald Trump to intervene in a US ban on selling American components to ZTE, China’s second-largest maker of telecom network equipment.
The ongoing ZTE wrangle has sparked a wave of soul searching in China about why it has to rely on imports for core components such as microchips despite substantial government investment in the technology sector, including under its “Made in China 2025” strategy.
On Monday, Xi said China must “climb to the top of the world as a leading player in technology”.