In March 2022, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on Strengthening Governance over Ethics in Science and Technology” (hereinafter “the Opinions”, 关于加强科技伦理治理的意见).
This is China’s first national-level guiding document on the governance over ethics in science and technology, and another landmark event in China’s governance over ethics in science and technology after the establishment of the National Committee for Ethics in Science and Technology.
The Opinions clarifies a set of ethical principles in science and technology, including serving the well-being of humanity, respecting people’s right to life, adhering to fairness and justice, controlling risks in an appropriate way, and maintaining openness and transparency.
The Opinions proposes to improve the institutional guarantee and management system for ethics in science and technology. And the National Committee for Ethics in Science and Technology will be responsible for guiding and coordinating the relevant work.
In recent years, gene-editing technology, artificial intelligence technology, assisted human reproduction technology and other cutting-edge technologies have been developing rapidly. Therefore, the Opinions lists life sciences, medicine, and artificial intelligence as key areas, and puts forward that “(review) committee of ethics in science and technology shall be established in areas where research content involves sensitive areas of ethics in science and technology”, and strengthen the research on legislation for ethics in science and technology in life sciences, medicine, artificial intelligence, and other fields.
Cover Photo by Diem Nhi Nguyen on Unsplash
Contributors: CJO Staff Contributors Team
