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Chinese mathematicians could tip the balance in US conference boycott

A petition signed by over 2,300 mathematicians from nearly 80 countries calls for moving the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians out of the US, citing visa barriers, safety concerns, and US policies. A co-organiser says a Chinese boycott could be decisive, given the country's scientific prominence and its targeting by US restrictions.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Apr 25 – May 1, 2026 Published Aug 13

Lead

A petition to move the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) out of the United States has gathered more than 2,300 signatures from mathematicians in at least 76 countries, according to multiple reports. The ICM, often described as the “World Cup of mathematics,” is scheduled to take place in Philadelphia in July. Organisers of the petition argue that current US government policies disqualify the country from hosting the event.

The petition, reported by the South China Morning Post, calls on mathematicians to “move the 2026 ICM out of the US” and to “commit not to participate in the ICM if it is to be held in the US.” It draws a parallel with the earlier objection to Russia’s hosting of the ICM following its invasion of Ukraine, stating: “Just as many mathematicians objected to Russia’s hosting of ICM on the basis of its invasion of Ukraine, we argue that the current American government disqualifies the US from hosting the ICM in 2026.”

Coverage Comparison

Two separate reports from the South China Morning Post covered the story. The first focused on the global opposition to the US hosting, framing the United States as an “outlier” in the mathematics community. The second report highlighted the potential influence of Chinese mathematicians, noting that a boycott from China could be “decisive.” Both reports cite the petition’s reasons for opposition, including visa barriers, safety concerns, and US policies that petitioners say undermine the inclusiveness of global science.

The second report quotes Ila Varma, a University of Toronto mathematician and boycott co-organiser, who said China is “uniquely situated” to act because it is both a target of US restrictions and a major scientific powerhouse. Varma added that the US is “targeting the Chinese scientific enterprise as part of a broader attack on science.”

Key Claims

More than 2,300 mathematicians from at least 76 countries have signed the petition to move the 2026 ICM out of the US, according to both reports.
The petition cites visa barriers, safety concerns, and US policies as reasons for opposition, as reported in one of the two articles.
The petition compares the current US government to Russia’s hosting of the ICM during the Ukraine war, a comparison that appeared in one report.
The total number of petitioners already exceeds the official number of registered participants for the event, according to one report.
A Chinese boycott could be decisive, according to a co-organiser of the petition, as quoted in one report.

Perspectives

Petition Organisers

They argue that the US government’s domestic and international policies create unsafe conditions for conference participants and violate the principles of a global scientific community. They call on mathematicians to boycott the event unless it is moved.

Chinese Mathematicians

While no Chinese mathematicians were directly quoted, the co-organiser’s comments suggest that a significant Chinese boycott could sway the event’s outcome, given the country’s large and influential mathematics community.

US Government and Conference Organisers

No direct response from US authorities or the ICM organisers was included in the reports, leaving their position unrepresented in this coverage.

How this outlet told it

A framing line is our reading of that outlet's own text — an interpretation, not a quotation and not a fact we assert. Check it against what the outlet published.

South China Morning Post as of Apr 25, 2026, 10:00 PM UTC

Framing: Our reading US hosting of mathematics conference sparks global opposition — Critical

Facts Included:

The International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is facing opposition due to being hosted in the US
Over 2,300 mathematicians from 76 countries have signed a petition to move the 2026 ICM out of the US
The petition cites the current American government as a reason for opposition
The petition mentions the Ukraine war as a basis for comparison

Read the source article →

South China Morning Post as of May 1, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC

Framing: Our reading Chinese boycott could impact mathematics conference — Informative

Facts Included:

A Chinese boycott of the ICM could be decisive
Over 2,300 mathematicians from nearly 80 countries have signed a petition to move the 2026 ICM out of the US
The petition cites visa barriers, safety concerns, and US policies as reasons for opposition
A co-organiser of the petition has spoken out about the issue

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) is facing opposition due to being hosted in the US. More than 2,300 mathematicians from at least 76 countries have signed an online petition to move the 2026 ICM out of the US.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via South China Morning Post as of Apr 25, 2026, 10:00 PM UTC
ClaimThe petition cites the current American government as a reason for opposition, comparing it to Russia's hosting of ICM due to the Ukraine war.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via South China Morning Post as of Apr 25, 2026, 10:00 PM UTC
ClaimThe petition mentions visa barriers, safety concerns, and US policies as reasons for opposition.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via South China Morning Post as of May 1, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
ClaimA Chinese boycott of the ICM could be decisive, according to a co-organiser of the petition.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via South China Morning Post as of May 1, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC
ClaimThe total number of petitioners already exceeds the official number of registered participants registered for the event.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via South China Morning Post as of May 1, 2026, 11:45 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 2 articles consulted: South China Morning Post 5 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-13