

An independent group supporting the right to information in the People’s Republic of China
Circle 19 is an independent, global China-concerned group that aims to promote the right to information on the basis of Chinese intellectuals sources.
Inaugural symposium in Paris
Circle 19 participants gathered for the first time in a symposium in Paris on 11 and 12 September 2023. On this occasion, they launched the drafting process of a Statement of Principles supporting the effective exercise of the right to information within the People’s Republic of China.


How journalism shaped the People’s Republic of China
Circle 19 selected and translated into English impactful Chinese investigative reports demonstrating the importance of journalism for the development of Chinese society.
Journalistic investigations that changed the PRC
2020: How did we lose the golden opportunity to control the disease?
The cover story of China News Weekly put together a detailed timeline for the month leading up to 23 January 2020, the day that the city of Wuhan closed down. The story presented the local government’s response and what officials from the local and national Center for Disease Control and Prevention did in those critical…
2020: How a Wuhan doctor brought China to realise the seriousness of the Covid-19 epidemic
This story by Renwu Magazine sets out how Ai Fen became the first whistleblower. Ai Fen is a doctor at the Central Hospital of Wuhan. In December 2019, she was one of the first doctors to encounter patients infected with the virus that would become known as COVID-19. On 30 December, she received a diagnostic…
2016: A vaccine scandal that shook China’s health system
While on probation, Pang conspired with her daughter to trade 260,000 of non-refrigerated vaccines to 18 provinces, and made 570 million RMB (75 million EUR) from the trade. The vaccines were feared ineffective due to the improper transport and storage, though unlikely to cause toxic reactions.