Chinese authorities are considering measures to discourage scientific researchers from publishing their work in foreign journals amid growing concerns over national security and the potential leakage of sensitive industrial and technological information.
Sources familiar with internal deliberations say Beijing may instruct universities and research institutions to lessen or eliminate the importance placed on publishing in leading international journals when assessing academic promotions and tenure. This effort reflects a broader campaign to reduce dependence on international journal metrics, such as the Science Citation Index (SCI), which have traditionally played a central role in evaluating scholarly impact and institutional prestige.
A former official with knowledge of the matter described the issue as rooted in a research evaluation system that prioritizes SCI publications above other criteria, suggesting that professional advancement should be decoupled from publication in these foreign journals.
Concerns intensified last month when China’s Ministry of State Security accused a researcher of leaking “important technical details” while attempting to publish papers internationally. This incident underscores the government’s increasing sensitivity to potential vulnerabilities associated with overseas academic dissemination.
In 2021, official guidelines issued by the human resources and education ministries cautioned higher education institutions against rigid reliance on publication requirements for career progression. Currently, several government agencies, including the Ministry of Science and Technology, are reportedly formulating a framework to integrate national security considerations into scientific evaluation processes.
Efforts to tighten control over foreign academic publishing escalated last August, accompanied by initiatives encouraging domestic scholars to submit significant research to Chinese journals. Industry observers note a decrease in manuscript submissions from China to international publishers since early 2024. While some have observed pressure on researchers to publish locally, this has not yet resulted in a dramatic decline in submissions overall.
This policy shift marks a departure from prior emphasis on international collaboration and open dissemination of research, reflecting heightened geopolitical tensions and China’s rapid technological advancement. The country’s science system is described by experts as transitioning from a "catch-up" phase to one befitting a global scientific power.
China-based authors accounted for nearly one-third of global publications indexed in the SCI in 2024, a substantial increase from just 5 percent twenty years ago. Authorities from China’s science and education ministries did not provide comment on these developments.