Lost in translation? Accountability and governance of clinical stem cell research in China

Abstract

Despite China's regulatory initiatives to promote its research accountability, it still needs to prove itself as a trusted player in life science research. In addition, in contrast to its huge investment, China is losing the race in delivering quality application of stem cells. The trial implementation of the 2015 ministerial regulations seemed to offer hope in ending this dual ‘lost-in-translation’. Yet skepticism remains. By examining China's regulatory trajectory in the last 15 years, this paper illustrates that it is a post hoc pragmatic policy rationale and a soft centralization regulatory approach that have hampered China's governance. To improve China's governance of accountability, policy-makers need to get beyond an ‘act-in-response’ regulatory ethos and to engage with diverse stakeholders.