“ I have not consulted or verified the facts with any academics or policy practitioners in China because of two reasons: the risk of misrepresenting our community and my lack of experience in the topic.”
Can you elaborate on this? I think verifying things with Chinese experts would add a lot of value to this report.
Re: have not consulted or verified the facts—At the beginning of the project in February 2022, I discussed this with some EAs that have experience dealing with Chinese experts. I was cautioned against approaching them directly because (1) local researchers are generally aware of biosafety but not biosecurity and (2) it isn’t easy for an individual, whether based within or outside of China, to access government agencies. Without a deep understanding of cultural nuances and field knowledge, I am not sure if I can effectively convey the biosecurity concept and the intentions of the research. But I agree that verifying things with Chinese experts will improve the write-up tremendously! Hope this clarifies.
This is really great, well done!
“ I have not consulted or verified the facts with any academics or policy practitioners in China because of two reasons: the risk of misrepresenting our community and my lack of experience in the topic.”
Can you elaborate on this? I think verifying things with Chinese experts would add a lot of value to this report.
Hi, @freedomandutility, thank you so much for your comment!
Re: have not consulted or verified the facts—At the beginning of the project in February 2022, I discussed this with some EAs that have experience dealing with Chinese experts. I was cautioned against approaching them directly because (1) local researchers are generally aware of biosafety but not biosecurity and (2) it isn’t easy for an individual, whether based within or outside of China, to access government agencies. Without a deep understanding of cultural nuances and field knowledge, I am not sure if I can effectively convey the biosecurity concept and the intentions of the research. But I agree that verifying things with Chinese experts will improve the write-up tremendously! Hope this clarifies.