Creating State Secrets: China, Foreign Policy and Sharing of Epidemiological Data, 1949–1979

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought renewed attention to China's restricted data sharing and constraints on academic freedom in public health. Understanding these contemporary challenges requires examining their historical foundations, particularly China’s longstanding classification of epidemiological statistics as state secrets since the early 1950s. This classification stems from security concerns, ideological imperatives, and Cold War geopolitical pressures that shaped China’s approach to international scientific cooperation. Through historical analysis of China’s engagement with epidemiological data sharing and its evolving relationship with the World Health Organization from 1949 to 1979, this study traces the institutional and ideological factors that fostered initial resistance to scientific transparency. It examines how domestic political considerations, international isolation, and ideological frameworks influenced China’s reluctance to share critical health data, while analysing the gradual shifts that eventually enabled limited collaboration with international health organisations. By placing contemporary controversies within this broader historical context, the research illuminates persistent challenges in the intersection of science and foreign policy. The findings reveal how historical precedents continue to influence China’s approach to international health cooperation, offering insights into the enduring tensions between national security concerns with global health imperatives. This historical perspective provides essential context for understanding in international scientific collaboration and ongoing debates about transparency in global health governance.