Nearly 80 countries, with over 2,300 mathematicians, have jointly petitioned to move the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians in Philadelphia out of the United States.

Foreign media: Nearly 80 countries and over 2,300 mathematicians have signed a petition demanding that the 2026 International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) in Philadelphia be moved out of the United States, citing visa barriers, security concerns, and U.S. policies undermining global scientific inclusivity. The number of petition signatories has already surpassed the official registered attendees.

Irma Valma, a mathematician at the University of Toronto and joint organizer, pointed out that China, being both a target of U.S. restrictive policies and a major scientific power, occupies a unique position; the potential boycott by Chinese mathematicians could prove decisive. She urged Chinese scholars to support the boycott and persuade mathematical societies to join, emphasizing that the U.S. government is targeting Chinese science enterprises as part of a broader attack on science, while China has not imposed equivalent sanctions on American universities.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1864005587591180/

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