BEIJING — China will establish a withdrawal mechanism for the Yangtze River Scholar award, said the Ministry of Education in a press statement.

The mechanism is included in regulations that the ministry recently made concerning the award program.

The Yangtze River Scholar award, which started in 1998, is one of China’s highest academic honors given to scholars from across the world.

The political standards and teachers’ virtues are the primary conditions for the professorship, and “are the bottom line which should not be crossed,” said an official in charge of the ministry’s department of personnel.

Acts such as any violation of the political discipline and rules, prosecution for criminal liability, falsification, or infringement on academic virtue would lead to the enforcement of withdrawal, according to the regulations.

The chair professorship requires a minimum stay of two months at the university, the official said. “Those who fail to arrive during the appointment term, cannot stay for the period, or leave the position against rules must exit.”

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the launch of the program. It has attracted a wide array of high-level talents at home and overseas and contributed to enhancing the quality of talent training as well as academic development.