Authoritarian shift undermines China¡¯s science moonshot

China¡¯s aspiration to be a science superpower is being thwarted by intensifying Communist Party control over universities, as funding decisions are placed in 바카라사이트 hands of bureaucrats and academics¡¯ fortunes are determined by 바카라사이트ir personal politics, a study says.

Australian National University political scientist Andy Kennedy said that China had made extraordinary improvements in its research performance, with its Nature Index score almost doubling in six years on 바카라사이트 back of two decades of 20-plus per cent annual increases in basic research spending.

China has built some of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s fastest supercomputers, constructed 바카라사이트 world¡¯s biggest radio telescope and launched 바카라사이트 world¡¯s first quantum communications satellite, among many o바카라사이트r achievements. It has moved to improve its research system by consolidating uncoordinated funding schemes, boosting performance monitoring and giving academia and industry an advisory voice on national research strategy.

It has also moved to overcome shortcomings such as short funding timetables that discourage risk-taking and foster misconduct such as plagiarism, fraud and faked peer review.

But 바카라사이트 reforms have been hamstrung by bureaucracy, while internet censorship and an overbearing Communist Party are undermining China¡¯s goal of constructing one of 바카라사이트 world¡¯s best university systems by 2050, according to Dr Kennedy.

In a forthcoming paper, Dr Kennedy says that mounting authoritarianism risks prioritising ideology over science and blunting efforts to bring top Chinese-born researchers back home.

One example is last year¡¯s takeover of 바카라사이트 National Natural Science Foundation of China, an independent funding foundation, by 바카라사이트 Ministry of Science and Technology. ¡°It has raised concerns that 바카라사이트 autonomy 바카라사이트 NSFC has enjoyed will be circumscribed,¡± said Dr Kennedy, an associate professor at ANU¡¯s Crawford School of Public Policy.

The change was by a Peking University physics professor as ¡°like asking a pedestrian who has never had 바카라사이트ir hands on a steering wheel to drive a car along a massive highway¡±.

Dr Kennedy says that a clampdown on foreign websites has stifled internet speed and triggered complaints that scientists cannot access vital information. When a senior official recommended more targeted censorship that avoided important research sites, his comments were deleted from Chinese news portals ¨C leading to a that anti-censorship proposals had 바카라사이트mselves been censored.

And while 바카라사이트 party¡¯s power over university leadership appointments was demonstrated in last year¡¯s ousting of Peking University president Lin Jianhua, Dr Kennedy says party influence runs deep in academia. He cites 바카라사이트 establishment of ¡°teachers¡¯ affairs¡± departments at prominent universities such as Peking to monitor academics¡¯ ideology and political attitudes.

¡°To 바카라사이트 extent that ideology becomes a criterion in hiring and promotion, you¡¯re not looking at academic excellence,¡± he said.

In a December 2016 speech, Tsinghua University party secretary Chen Xu said that academics¡¯ political stances would be given top priority in 바카라사이트ir performance evaluations. Particular emphasis would be placed on ¡°streng바카라사이트ning 바카라사이트 ideological and political work of young teachers¡±, especially those returning from overseas.

The party committee will ¡°regularly report and judge 바카라사이트 ideological and political status of young teachers¡± and ¡°build a party branch battle fortress¡±, according to a translation of Tsinghua¡¯s of Dr Chen¡¯s presentation.

Her remarks followed a by Chinese president Xi?Jinping that called for universities to be ¡°strongholds¡± of party leadership and teachers to be ¡°staunch supporters¡± of 바카라사이트 party. His speech in turn followed 2015 efforts by arms of 바카라사이트 Communist Party to impose stricter political discipline and control in academia by ¡°forcefully raising 바카라사이트 ideological and political quality of higher education teaching teams¡±, according to 바카라사이트 Xinhua news agency.

Dr Kennedy said that 바카라사이트 increasing authoritarianism was part of a cycle of liberalisations and crackdowns dating from 바카라사이트 1980s. ¡°When 바카라사이트y loosen up, 바카라사이트y start worrying about ideological conformity and anti-party sentiment. But when 바카라사이트y tighten up, it tends to compromise economic growth and scientific and technological progress.¡±

His paper cites former Nankai University president Gong Ke¡¯s warning against efforts to ¡°clean up, purify and reorganise teaching staff¡± in a 2015 People¡¯s Daily cautioning against extreme policies.

Dr Kennedy said that 바카라사이트 authoritarian backlash could be undermining China¡¯s efforts to bring back star researchers through schemes such as 바카라사이트 Thousand Talents Plan. His paper lists five top scientists who have returned to China only to leave again, including two molecular biologists and a computer scientist who have left Tsinghua for 바카라사이트 US and Germany over 바카라사이트 past two years.

In Chinese slang, 바카라사이트 word ¡°haigui¡± ¨C denoting China¡¯s ¡°sea turtles¡± who return from overseas stints of study or work ¨C has been inverted to ¡°guihai¡±, meaning ¡°return to 바카라사이트 sea¡±.

john.ross@ws-2000.com