BY-LAWS FOR MEMBERS OF THE CHINESE ACADEMY OF SCIENCES
(Adopted by the 6th General Assembly of the Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1992, and amended by the 7th General Assembly in 1994, the 8th General Assembly in 1996, the 9th General Assembly in 1998, the 10th General Assembly in 2000, the 12th General Assembly in 2004 and the 13th General Assembly in 2006)
CHAPTER I MEMBERSHIP
Article 1. The membership of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the highest academic title and an honor of lifelong tenure conferred by the State in science and technology circles.
Article 2. Obligations and Rights of a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Member):
To promote and contribute to the research, development and application of science and technology and strive for innovation and achievements;
To be exemplary in advocating and upholding the ethics of science, the scientific spirit and fine styles of study and in popularizing knowledge of science;
To contribute to the training of qualified personnel and promote the development of the scientific and technological workforce;
To attend Member meetings, and undertake consultation and evaluation tasks initiated by the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences;
To promote international exchanges and cooperation in the field of science and technology.
Every Member has the right to put forward suggestions on the decision-making of the State on major science and technology issues, the right to nominate Chinese and foreign candidates for membership and the right to elect and to stand for election at Member meetings.
Article 3. A Senior Membership system is practiced for the sake of the health of Members at the age of 80 or older: they are given the title of Senior Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Senior Member). Senior Members continue to assume the rights and obligations stipulated in Article 2 and enjoy the Senior Member subsidies, but they are not entitled to hold the leading posts as members of the standing leading body of the General Assembly or as members of the standing committees of the Academic Divisions. They may attend the Member meetings of their own accord, but shall neither nominate nor elect new Members.
CHAPTER II CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE FOR
THE ELECTION OF MEMBERS
Article 4. Research fellows and professors, or scholars and specialists of equivalent academic ranks with Chinese nationality (including who reside in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan Province and overseas) who have made systematic and creative achievements and major contributions in the fields of science and technology, and who are patriotic, honest and upright in their style of learning, may be nominated and elected as Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Article 5. The election of Members shall be held biennially, and each time the total number of new Members to be elected shall not exceed 60. The quota allocation for new Members among divisions in each election shall be fixed by the standing leading body of the General Assembly in line with the layout and development of scientific disciplines.
Article 6. Candidates for Membership shall be nominated in the following two ways and self-recommendation shall not be accepted.
1. Members can nominate candidates directly. At each election each Member may nominate no more than two candidates, and a candidate shall be eligible for election only when nominated by three or more Members. Nominations of scholars and specialists with Chinese nationality who reside in Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, Taiwan Province and overseas can be made under this stipulation only;
2. Any domestic research organizations related to science and technology, institutions of higher learning, and Class A societies of the China Association for Science and Technology may nominate candidates from within their respective administrative systems. Candidates in this category must pass preliminary elections administered by their responsible authorities, the China Association for Science and Technology, or provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities directly under the jurisdiction of the Central Government.
Article 7. The candidates shall be reviewed and elected by Members under the auspices of the Standing Committees of the Academic Divisions. Such reviews shall be conducted on the principle of abiding by the criteria of impartiality and objectivity and in a comprehensive and scientific manner.
An election shall be held by each Academic Division in differential secret ballots, the difference being 40% of the number of available vacancies. The number of Members taking part in each election must be more than half of the total Membership of each Academic Division. Candidates winning more than two thirds of the valid ballots actually cast will be elected in the descending order of their vote counts until the quota of an Academic Division is filled. The results of the elections shall be examined and approved by the Standing Committees of the various Academic Divisions, and then be circulated in writing among all Members after being reviewed and approved by the standing leading body of the General Assembly.
Article 8. In accordance with the provisions of Article Three of The Law on Nationality of the People's Republic of China concerning the non-recognition of dual nationality for citizens of the People's Republic of China, any Member who acquires the nationality of another country shall automatically forsake the title of Member.
Article 9. When a Member's personal behavior constitutes a violation of the law of the country and endangers the interests of the State, violates the virtues of science and runs counter to the criteria for membership, at the written request of no less than five Members to rescind the title of the said Member, and upon the examination and acceptance by the Standing Committee of the Academic Division with which the said Member is affiliated, a decision on rescinding the title of the said Member may be reached through a vote at a plenary session of the Academic Division concerned. When such a decision is being reached, the number of Members participating in the vote must be no less than two thirds of the total Membership of the Academic Division, and the number of votes in favor of expulsion must be no less than two thirds of the total number of votes cast. The decision shall become effective and then be circulated among the membership after the examination and approval of the standing leading body of the General Assembly.
CHAPTER III CRITERIA AND PROCEDURE FOR
THE ELECTION OF FOREIGN MEMBERS
Article 10. Scholars and specialists of foreign nationality who have made important contributions to the cause of science and technology in China and who enjoy high academic standing internationally may be nominated and elected Foreign Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as Foreign Members).
Article 11. The election of Foreign Members will be held biennially. A candidate for Foreign Membership shall become eligible when nominated by not less than five Members. At each election, each Member may nominate one candidate. The election of Foreign Members shall be held simultaneously with that of Chinese Members at the General Assembly by secret ballot. A candidate will be elected a Foreign Member when more than half of the Membership take part in the election and when the candidate wins not less than two thirds of the votes cast.
Article 12. Foreign Members have the right to make suggestions for the development of science and technology in China and the work of the Academic Divisions. When invited, they may attend relevant meetings and academic activities organized by the Academic Divisions, and they may receive publications issued by the Academic Divisions. They are not entitled to nominate candidates for Members or Foreign Members, or to vote or stand for election.
Article 13. A Foreign Member will become a Member or a Senior Member immediately after having obtained Chinese citizenship, assuming the same obligations and rights, and enjoying the same related privileges.
CHAPTER IV ACADEMIC DIVISIONS
Article 14. The Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences form the highest advisory body of the State in science and technology. At present there are six Divisions, namely, the divisions of Mathematics and Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences and Medicine, Earth Sciences, Information Technical Science, and Technological Sciences. A Member may join one of the Academic Divisions according to his or her research specialty. A plenary session of each of the Academic Divisions is convened annually.
Article 15. Each Academic Division may elect some of its Members to form its Standing Committee to take charge of the work of the Division. The Standing Committee members may serve a term of office of two years and may serve a maximum of three terms if consecutively elected. At least one third and no more than half of the Standing Committee members of each Academic Division must be replaced every two years.
The Standing Committee elects one Director and a number of Deputy Directors of the Academic Division to direct the work and preside over the plenary sessions of the Division. The terms of office of the Director and Deputy Directors shall be consistent with that of the Standing Committee members. The Standing Committee and the Director and Deputy Directors may take office after the approval of the standing leading body of the General Assembly.
Article 16. The functions of the Academic Divisions:
1. To organize Members, as commissioned by the State or suggested by Members themselves, to provide advice on major issues of science and technology in national economic construction and social development, on the development programs of science and technology and on the strategies of various disciplines and major decision-making in science and technology, and to promote the formulation and implementation of policies and measures for science and technology;
2. To organize Members, as commissioned by the authorities concerned, to provide appraisals and guidance on academic issues in major research fields, research planning and research institutions;
3. To organize the election of Members;
4. To conduct academic exchanges and cooperation with academic institutions both at home and abroad, and promote the development, improvement and popularization of science and technology;
5. To appraise and discuss work reports of the Standing Committee and review the performance of its functions and tasks at the plenary sessions of an Academic Division.
CHAPTER V GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Article 17. The General Assembly of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the highest organizational form of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and shall be convened biennially, usually in the first week of June of the even years of the calendar.
Article 18. The functions of the General Assembly:
1. To examine and appraise the work reports of the standing leading body;
2. To elect members of the standing leading body and proclaim its organization;
3. To enact and amend the By-laws for the Members;
4. To decide on the organization and adjustment of the Academic Divisions;
5. To elect Foreign Members;
6. To organize academic activities;
7. To put forward major suggestions.
CHAPTER VI. STANDING LEADING BODY
Article 19. The standing leading body of the General Assembly, during the period when the General Assembly is not in session, is the Presidium of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (hereinafter referred to as the Presidium). The Presidium is composed of the President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in charge of the work of the Academic Divisions, the Directors of the various Academic Divisions, the Directors of special committees and a certain number of Members elected by the General Assembly. The President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the Executive Chairperson of the Presidium, presiding over meetings of the Presidium.
The term of office of the members of the Presidium elected by the General Assembly is four years and they may not be re-elected.
The President of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the President of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the Chairperson of the China Association for Science and Technology, the President of the National Natural Science Foundation of China and leaders of related government agencies shall be appointed advisers to the Presidium. Advisers attend meetings of the Presidium as non-voting delegates.
Article 20. An Executive Committee is set up under the Presidium to carry out resolutions adopted by the General Assembly and the Presidium and supervise the work of the Academic Divisions. The Executive Committee is composed of the Executive Chairperson of the Presidium, the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in charge of the work of the Academic Divisions and the Chairs of the various Academic Divisions. The Executive Chairperson of the Presidium presides over the meetings of the Executive Committee.
Article 21. Special committees are set up under the Presidium to take charge of such issues concerning major consultation and evaluation, academic exchanges, science popularization and publication, ethics of science and style of study in the Academic Divisions. The special committees are formed by a certain number of members elected by Standing Committees of various Academic Divisions. The term of office of the members is four years, and they may be re-elected once.
Article 22. Upon the approval of the Presidium, a chair and a number of vice chairs are elected by a special committee to take charge of its work.
Article 23. The Executive Committee shall appoint a Secretary-General who is responsible for the routine work of the Academic Divisions as entrusted by the Executive Committee. The Secretary-General may not necessarily be a Member and may be nominated by the Executive Chairman of the Presidium and approved and appointed by the Presidium. The Secretary-General attends meetings of the Presidium and the Executive Committee as a non-voting delegate.
Article 24. The functions of the Presidium:
1. To decide on convening and to preside over the General Assembly;
2. To examine and decide on proposals to be submitted to the General Assembly;
3. To approve and appoint Advisers to the Presidium;
4. To approve the members of the Standing Committees and special committees;
5. To appoint the Secretary-General of the Executive Committee;
6. To decide on the number of Members to be elected into the Academic Divisions;
7. To examine the results of Member elections of the Academic Divisions;
8. To decide on the name list of formal candidates for Foreign Membership;
9. To examine and approve decisions to rescind the title of a Member;
10. To decide on the establishment of trans-Division special committees if necessary;
11. To perform other functions as entrusted by the General Assembly.
CHAPTER VII PUBLICATIONS AND FINANCE
Article 25. The Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences compile and publish the following publications:
Proceedings which carries academic theses that Members present at the General Assembly, plenary sessions and academic conferences organized by the Academic Divisions; Collection of Documents of the General Assembly which carries work reports presented at and decisions and stipulations adopted by the General Assembly and plenary sessions of the various Academic Divisions, as well as the chronicle of the organizations and events of the Academic Division; and Annual Advisory Reports, which carries consultation reports and suggestions that emerge from studies organized by the Academic Divisions and chaired by Members concerning major issues of science and technology and various consultation tasks.
Article 26. Funds required for the activities of the Members and the Academic Divisions are provided mainly through government allocation. Donations are also accepted from domestic and foreign institutions and individuals.
CHAPTER VIII APPENDICES
Article 27. Unless otherwise stated, at the General Assembly, plenary sessions and Standing Committee meetings of the Academic Divisions, as well as meetings of the Presidium and the Executive Committee, if the number of persons present reaches more than half of the total, a quorum is obtained whereby resolutions can be made. When put to a vote, resolutions are passed with a simple majority.
Article 28. The By-laws and the amendments shall become effective upon the endorsement and promulgation by the General Assembly of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Article 29. Detailed rules and regulations for enforcement may be formulated in accordance with the By-laws and become effective upon the ratification of the Presidium.
Article 30. The right of interpretation of the By-laws is vested in the Presidium of the Academic Divisions of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
