China joins global partners to advance open science governance and international cooperation
On December 19, 2025, China's Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) released a notice on its official website announcing the formulation of the International Action Plan for Cooperation on Open Science, jointly developed with the African Union, Brazil, China, and South Africa. The document calls for strengthening the global governance system for science and urges all stakeholders to take concrete actions to advance open science worldwide, marking a new milestone in international scientific collaboration.
According to the notice, open science is described as “an important driving force for the progress of human civilization, a key pathway to addressing global challenges, and a critical means to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.” The action plan calls on all stakeholders to participate based on principles of equality and mutual benefit, respect for diversity, universal access to knowledge, and open collaboration. These principles, the notice emphasized, should guide collective efforts to make science more inclusive, transparent, and accessible across borders.
Among the six objectives outlined in the action plan, particular attention has been drawn to the fourth one: promoting the open circulation of world-class scientific and technological journals. This objective highlights the importance of accelerating the global sharing of high-quality research papers, preprints, and other emerging forms of scientific output.
It also aims to narrow the scientific information gap between countries and regions while building globally accessible, internationally shared, comprehensive, and inclusive publishing infrastructure. By doing so, the plan seeks to enhance communication among researchers worldwide and speed up the dissemination of scientific discoveries.
In keeping with the spirit of “openness” embedded in the action plan’s headline, the initiative welcomes participation from G20 members, observers, knowledge partners, and other stakeholders that support and recognize the International Initiative on Cooperation in Open Science. Through coordinated global actions, these partners are encouraged to jointly advance open science practices and contribute to a more equitable international research ecosystem.
The earliest idea of open science can be traced back to the 17th century, when the Enlightenment spurred scholars’ desire for knowledge and encouraged scientists to share findings through collaboration rather than secrecy. In the 1990s, the open science movement further articulated the principle of openly disseminating research results. Entering the 21st century, landmark initiatives such as the Budapest Open Access Initiative and the Amsterdam Call for Action on Open Science ignited a global wave of open science development. In 2018, the United Nations recognized open science as an important tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This momentum culminated in 2021 with UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) Recommendation on Open Science, which helped build global consensus and provided a structured framework for advancing open science worldwide.
