China censors research on coronavirus origins

A security guard wearing a facemask amid the concerns over COVID-19 closes a gate outside the Forbidden City in Beijing on April 12, 2020. AFP

By Jung Min-ho

China's government censors research on the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far killed nearly 120,000 people around the world.

According to a cached version of the notice from China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, where COVID-19 was first reported in December, all studies now must be approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology before publication.

"Academic papers on the traceability of the new coronavirus must be reviewed by the academic committee of the school before publication, focusing on the authenticity of the paper and whether it is suitable for publication," the notice says.

"After the review is passed, the school reports to the Ministry of Science and Technology, and can only be published after the review by the Ministry of Science and Technology."

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian speaks at the daily media briefing in Beijing on April 8, 2020. AFP

The move follows some Chinese officials' attempts to defy the general consensus that the virus originated at a seafood market in Wuhan. In March, Zhao Lijian, a foreign ministry spokesman, promoted a baseless conspiracy theory that the U.S. military brought the virus to China during the 2019 Military World Games.

A Chinese researcher, who refused to be named, told CNN that all this was a sign that future scientific research about the disease would be obstructed.

"I think it is a coordinated effort from (the) Chinese government to control (the) narrative, and paint it as if the outbreak did not originate in China," CNN quoted the researcher as saying. "And I don't think they will really tolerate any objective study to investigate the origination of this disease."

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