BEIJING: Chinese science and tech associations called for a boycott of a leading global artificial intelligence conference this year, after event organisers said they could not accept submissions from those on a US list of sanctioned entities.
The China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) blasted the move by NeurIPS – whose 40th annual conference takes place in Sydney in December – as "injecting political hegemony into academic exchange".
The China Computer Federation and the Chinese Association of Automation have also urged their members to refrain from submitting papers or working academically with NeurIPS.
NeurIPS, run by a US-based non-profit, is one of the most prestigious academic conferences in machine learning, AI and computational neuroscience.
China has in recent years become a major contributor to the gathering, which typically draws tens of thousands of researchers to present and discuss cutting-edge work, while tech firms and investors scout for emerging talent.
NeurIPS organisers initially stated in a recent policy update that they were "required by law to comply with US sanctions and trade restrictions" and were therefore "unable to accept or publish submissions" from sanctioned institutions.
Chinese tech companies including Huawei, DJI, China Telecom and chipmaker SMIC, and leading academic institutions such as Harbin Institute of Technology and Beihang University are sanctioned by various US government agencies.
Organisers later clarified that the rules apply specifically to entities on the US Treasury's Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list.
"No matter how prestigious an academic conference may be, once it is tainted by political sycophancy, it will be spurned by the academic community," read a commentary published Friday by CAST, China's largest professional body for scientists and engineers.
In a separate statement, the association said it would stop accepting funding applications from scholars wishing to attend the 2026 NeurIPS conference.
CAST added that it would no longer recognise papers accepted by NeurIPS this year.
This is not the first time Chinese researchers have faced exclusion from major academic activities.
In 2019, science publisher IEEE was forced to backtrack on a ban affecting Huawei researchers following strong opposition from the Chinese academic community. – AFP
