(Yicai Global) May 6 -- A Chinese doctor has taken to social media to  criticize the inclusion of Baidu founder Robin Li in this year's list of  candidates for the Chinese Academy of Engineering, citing the search  giant's role in posting fake healthcare ads. 

The doctor labeled Li as morally flawed in a post on WeChat stating that he  had met many patients who were deceived by the Beijing-based firm's  ads. They even played a role in the death of one person seeking  treatment in 2014, he added. 

Many other users on Wechat and Weibo have spoken out against Li online while  others state that the denial of Li's breakthroughs in scientific  research due to the healthcare controversy constitutes a form of moral  coercion.

The CAE released the list of 531 candidates on April 30. Other key figures  include former Alibaba Group Holding Chief Technology Officer Wang Jian,  BYD founder Wang Chuanfu, Microsoft's artificial intelligence head  Harry Shum, and Chang Zhaohua, chief executive at Shanghai-based medical  product maker MicroPort Scientific.

Wei Zexi, a college student from Xidian University in northwestern Shaanxi  province, died of synovial sarcoma in April 2016 after receiving  treatment from an illegal hospital via a Baidu search result. His death  triggered nationwide anger after Baidu placed questionable businesses at  the top of internet search results in exchange for huge profits.

The Shanghai Municipal Administration of Industry and Commerce fined the  tech firm CNY28,000 (USD4,200) for hosting unreviewed ads related to  medical institutions. The site officially shut down Baidu Doctor in  April 2017. It then offered to safeguard the position of ads related to  China's grade-A tertiary hospitals, ceased operations of accounts  running healthcare ads in violation of regulations and set up a keywords  blacklist. 

Despite the efforts, questionable medical ads reappeared in Baidu's search  results again drawing the ire of the country's online community. 

Editor: William Clegg, Zhang Yushuo