Tobacco expert appointment ignites protest

A row over the appointment of a Chinese tobacco scientist to a prestigious academy intensified this week when almost 100 leading thinkers signed a letter protesting the move.

Xie Jianping, deputy director of China National Tobacco Corp's Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute, was accepted into the Chinese Academy of Engineering in December 2011. His research specializes in refining low-tar cigarettes.

Other academicians have criticized his appointment and sent several open letters to the academy in protest.