Don't expect any more research about the coronavirus from China as the mainland Chinese government in Beijing has raised the iron curtain prohibiting any publication that says the Wuhan virus started in China.
The ruling party has imposed limits on what can be published, especially academic research that contradict the official party line that the coronavirus originated in China.
Anything vastly contradicting the official stand of the mainland Beijing government will not be tolerated. Two universities already got scrubbed by online sensors.
Iron grip policy by the government
Bottom line, the new policy that covers all papers that is about COVID-19 will not be published, until it is submitted for verification that it complies with all guidelines.
Accordingly, all posts found not conforming to the official party line and without approval will be deleted.
It is now a taboo to question the narrative origin of the coronavirus. Abroad, the coronavirus is universally accepted to originate in Wuhan, and the government is spinning the studies to divest itself of complicity in its creation.
It is important to the government that it knew about the coronavirus and the COVID-19 pandemic, that claimed more than 100,000 lives. Many sick from the COVID-19 disease radiated from the Chinese city of Wuhan in December.
From late January, China-based researchers have published COVID-19 studies in influential international medical journals. The highlight of these studies were early cases of human to human transmission, which left doubt on the official government stand, and later controversy and a spillover of discontent in Chinese social media.
Chinese authorities are exerting unusual control of all COVID-19 research and study.
One Chinese researcher expressed with fear that the central government is hell-bent on controlling, and revising the narrative of China's complicity in the origin and creation of the coronavirus. He even said they might restrict further research.
The researcher request anonymity for fear of retaliation
Soon after the interview, CNN attempted to ask for a statement from the China's Foreign Ministry for comment.
Questions about the directive are answered with an increase in watchdog activity.
The Ministry of Education's science and technology department issued the directive saying, "academic papers about tracing the origin of the virus must be strictly and tightly managed."
Before getting approval, there was a rigorous process for academic papers to be approved. It begins at the academic committees at universities. Papers are sent to the Education Ministry's science and technology department, which forwards the papers to a state appointed body for approval.
Without any approval from this group, no paper can be published. There are no exceptions.
These directives are based on the March 25 meeting of the state council, for the control and prevention of COVID-19.
It was not supposed to be a public document said one official who confirmed the directive, but said was not supposed to be made public, with no further comment.
The Chinese source for CNN said the directive was approved recently with a few additional checks added.
An iron curtain, that is Beijing as its grip on any coronavirus research, means all papers must share the government's narrative or not be published at all.
