The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) denied U.S. media reports that China plans to hire a foreigner to run the world's largest radio telescope in Southwest China's Guizhou Province.
The CAS said on its Sina Weibo account on Saturday that no such recruitment exists for the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) in Pingtang county, Southwest China's Guizhou Province, and that the post of FAST chief scientist was filled when the project was launched in July 2016.
However, the CAS has not identified the chief scientist.
CAS said it will continue to support, and encourage the participation of top Chinese and international scientists in FAST-related work.
The US newsmagazine Newsweek reported on its website on Thursday that China is offering a $1.9 million yuan research grant and free housing plus other perks for the foreigner-only job.
An image of news site cankaoxiaoxi.com, which cited the report and translated it into Chinese, is attached to the post. However, the original page of the cankaoxiaoxi report was no longer accessible as of press time on Sunday.
The world's largest radio telescope was completed in July 2016, when the remaining of 4,450 panels were installed in the big dish, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
In the first two or three years in operation, the telescope will undergo further adjustments, and Chinese scientists will use it for early-stage research before it is opened to international scientists, Peng Bo, director of the NAO Radio Astronomy Technology Laboratory, was quoted by Xinhua as saying.
Scientists can also engage in remote observations in other cities, Peng said.
