Study title

Between 2014 to 2017, 23 semi-structured interviews and 12 focus groups were conducted with Chinese policy-makers, ethicists, scientists and civil society actors in three Chinese cities: Beijing, Wuhan and Xi’an. These three cities were chosen for they are all important regional research hubs and provide complimentary insights on how scientific dialogues are organised in different socio-economic contexts. As the national capital, Beijing is a well-resourced and highly globalised north-eastern city. Wuhan is the moderately well-off southern provincial capital of Hubei and is a main hub for agroindustry research. Xi’an is the capital of the north-western Shaanxi province, which is less innovation-driven and financially less advantaged than Beijing or Wuhan. China's rise as a 'leading influence' in the organization and delivery of scientific innovation is Janus-faced (FCO and BIS, 2013). On the one hand, China presents new opportunities of maximizing the uptake and application of science in a climate of sluggish economic growth. On the other hand, a persistent deficiency in ensuring responsible research conduct casts a shadow on the public attitude towards research conducted in, and with, China. Cases such as locally authorized stem cell therapy and unsupervised GM food trials not only has the effect of damaging China's own scientific reputation, but also impairs global public trust of biotechnologies (Moreno, 2010, Qiu, 2012). This project proposes a timely and ambitious study on the accountability problem in China's life science governance through a comparative study of stem cell research and GM foods. This draws on my extensive network and previous research in both fields. Through a combination of semi-structured interviews, focus groups and international workshops, this project engages with regulators, scientists and civil society actors in both China and the UK. It makes an important contribution to the co-production of alternative ways to address public...