Scientific research will help policymakers

Some people, including scholars and Tsinghua University alumni, have petitioned the university to fire Hu Angang, head of its Center for China Studies, because of his "absurd" conclusion in a study widely circulated last year that China had overtaken the United States.

That Hu has insisted his conclusion is correct, without explaining why there are fallacies in his data or revealing the research method he has followed, has widened the broadside against him.

The institute established in 2000 is among the top think tanks aimed at providing advice to government. And many people are angry with Hu because they fear his research and "weird" conclusions could mislead policymakers.