BEIJING - A scientist recently inducted into the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) is being criticized by a number of his peers, who said his research might cause more harm from tobacco.

Xie Jianping, 52, vice-president of the Zhengzhou Tobacco Research Institute of China National Tobacco Corp, was inducted into the academy on Dec 8 for his research since 2005 on tar reduction in filter cigarettes.

The honor met with public criticism on Sina weibo, the country's leading micro-blogging website.