The paper analyzes the perception of the phenomenon of plagiarism in the academic environment in China on the basis of basic philosophical arguments and principles of scientific ethics. Based on numerous sociological foreign studies conducted among Chinese students, graduate students and teachers, the author tries to understand how the attitude to this phenomenon in China differs in different social groups. It is concluded that, despite the condemnation of plagiarism in general, it is not perceived as a serious academic violation of scientific ethics in the student and scientific communities. It is often presented in various forms and negatively affects the reputation of Chinese scientists at the international level, creating a biased attitude towards authors based on nationality. The loyal attitude towards plagiarism in China is caused by historical, cultural, social and economic reasons. But a change in attitude to this phenomenon is possible only if a number of issues are addressed to improve the social status of researchers and teachers in the country and the introduction of ethical standards in the field of scientific research.