CHINA

Five Chinese Scientists Stripped of Awards for Corruption and Misconduct

Published: Sep. 22, 2025 3:56 p.m. GMT+8

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Five prominent Chinese scientists have been stripped of prestigious national awards for offenses ranging from criminal convictions to academic misconduct, a national science body announced Friday.

The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) said it rescinded the China Youth Science and Technology Award from Zhou Xinyuan, Chen Zheyu, Sun Beicheng, and Zhao Yuanjin. Liu Jiani had her China Young Women in Science Award revoked. CAST also recalled their medals, certificates, and prize money.

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Five Chinese scientists were stripped of national awards due to criminal convictions or academic misconduct, per CAST’s July 2024 announcement.
Zhou Xinyuan and Chen Zheyu were sanctioned for embezzlement totaling over 21 million yuan and 600,000 yuan, respectively.
Sun Beicheng, Zhao Yuanjin, and Liu Jiani lost awards for improper lobbying and disclosing grant review information during the 2021 grant cycle.

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Who’s Who

China Petroleum and Chemical Corp.: Zhou Xinyuan, a former oil executive, managed the Tarim Oilfield for China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. Awarded the China Youth Science and Technology Award in 2004, he was sentenced to four years in prison in 2017 for embezzling state assets, illegally dividing 21 million yuan in gas sales revenue.

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What Happened When

By 2014：: Rules required unspent research funds to be returned at the end of the year, before reforms.

2015：: Chen Zheyu was investigated over his handling of research funds.

2017：: Zhou Xinyuan was sentenced by a Beijing high court to four years in prison for embezzlement of state assets.

2018：: A court handed Chen Zheyu a 30-month sentence for embezzlement after an investigation that began in 2015.

2018：: China implemented a policy push to bolster research integrity in scientific circles.

2021：: Sun Beicheng and Zhao Yuanjin engaged in misconduct during a grant application process, including lobbying potential reviewers.

2021：: Liu Jiani lobbied several potential reviewers for her grant application, disclosed her identity while serving as a reviewer, and leaked the voting results.

July 2024：: The Ministry of Science and Technology issued a notice about Sun Beicheng's and Zhao Yuanjin's misconduct, barring them from state-funded grants and adding them to the research misconduct database.

September 20, 2024：: CAST announced the revocation of national awards from five scientists for criminal convictions or research misconduct.

October 2024：: The National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) sanctioned Liu Jiani, canceling her active grants and suspending her from new applications and reviewer positions.

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