China’s science ministry vows continued crackdown on paper buying

The crackdown's significance lies in its dual targeting: not just researchers who buy papers but the commercial infrastructure — websites, online shops, operators — that supplies them. That shifts enforcement from individual misconduct toward the market that enables it, and public naming of cases is itself a deterrent tool. For China's research system, the open question is whether enforcement can keep pace with demand for publication credentials that drives the trade in the first place.