"Key Technologies Included in Papers"... China Tightens Control Over Submissions to Overseas Journals

China Considers Reducing Extra Credit for International Journal Publications
Ministry of State Security Warns of "Leakage of Technical Details"
High Publication Fees Add Burden as Security and Academic Sovereignty Overlap

Reports have emerged that China is controlling the process of publishing research results in overseas academic journals, citing concerns over the potential leakage of advanced technologies.

On the 1st, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, an image of a military band conductor is shown to aid in understanding the article during the 105th anniversary ceremony of the founding of the Communist Party. Photo by AP Yonhap News

On July 4 (local time), Yonhap News Agency reported, citing the British daily Financial Times (FT), that "the Chinese government is considering reducing or eliminating the weight given to publications in international academic journals when hiring faculty at universities and research institutions."

Until now, Chinese researchers received preferential treatment in hiring, promotion, and research funding evaluations if they published papers in prestigious international journals such as Nature and Cell. However, with growing concerns that academic papers could serve as channels for industrial and technological leaks, the authorities are now seeking ways to restrict submissions altogether.

In fact, last month, China's Ministry of State Security pointed out in an article posted on its official WeChat account that "a researcher disclosed key technical details by including core equipment structures, major technical variables, and experimental sample data in appendices and supplementary materials without undergoing the institution's security review, in an attempt to increase the likelihood of paper acceptance by international journals and conferences." Another case cited involved "a university staff member storing unpublished raw experimental data and intermediate research variables in personal overseas cloud and email accounts during a research visit abroad." The Ministry of State Security stated, "Those involved in these cases were held accountable," and warned, "Strictly comply with security review requirements before submitting papers."

Since August last year, the Chinese government has already strengthened oversight of overseas academic publishing and encouraged submission of influential papers to domestic journals. According to journals such as Science, beginning in March this year, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) prohibited the use of government research funding to pay publication fees for about 30 expensive international open-access journals, including Nature Communications, Cell Reports, and Science Advances.

The National Natural Science Foundation of China has also required that, for projects supported after 2025, more than 20% of representative papers be published in domestic journals. Additionally, the Ministry of Science and Technology has revised guidelines to gradually increase the proportion of domestic journal publications in the evaluation of national science and technology awards. These measures are seen as reflecting not only security concerns but also the burden of overseas publication fees and an intention to strengthen "academic sovereignty."

Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo by AP Yonhap News Agency

The costs borne by Chinese researchers for publishing in overseas journals are significant. According to data from the National Science Library under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, in 2024, the average publication fee per paper exceeded 3,000 dollars (about 4.6 million won), and Chinese scholars published 313,500 open-access papers, spending a total of 909 million dollars (about 1.39 trillion won). This is an increase of over 20% compared to the previous year.

Amid this trend, an executive at an international scientific publishing company told FT, "Since early this year, the number of papers submitted from China has been decreasing." However, there has been considerable backlash. One Chinese researcher claimed, "I stopped submitting to overseas journals because it became too difficult to pass security reviews," arguing that "the enhanced review procedures are stifling overseas publication and lack objectivity."

Meanwhile, these changes are closely tied to the reality that, as U.S.-China competition intensifies, security has emerged as a key issue in the field of science. Dennis Simon, senior fellow at the Quincy Institute, explained, "China's scientific system has evolved from a 'catch-up' model aiming to follow advanced countries to a 'major power' model," adding, "Now, how knowledge is managed has become central to safeguarding national security and enhancing scientific stature."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.