The Chinese government issued a nationwide alert telling people not to communicate with aliens and to contact the United Nations if extraterrestrial life reaches out to them.
In June 2026, numerous Chinese news media outlets reported on updated international guidelines advising researchers not to independently respond to extraterrestrial signals. English-language news outlets also reported on these updated guidelines, which came from an international scientific organization. It was not possible to find any evidence of the Chinese government sending a nationwide alert telling people not to communicate with aliens, nor of the existence of a U.N. “alien hotline.”
In September 2026, a rumor circulated online that the Chinese government broadcast a warning to the country’s population of roughly 1.4 billion people, instructing them not to communicate with aliens and to instead contact the United Nations if extraterrestrial life reaches out to them.
For example, one Instagram user posted a video making the claim (archived), during which the user said the alleged warning was distributed through several channels:
Broadcast was made as if it were a giant emergency. They did it through the radio, they did it like the way that you get Amber Alerts on your phone, they did a television broadcast and they had messengers going into rural communities to tell people this and give them this information.
The supposed announcement said, “If you are contacted by aliens, do not attempt to communicate with them. Call this phone number, which will send you to the United Nations desk of the alien communications specialist, and they will take care of it for you.” The Instagram user later referred to the supposed number as an “alien hotline” and said similar messages circulated in Japan and South Korea.
The claim spread spread elsewhere on Instagram as well as on Reddit and Facebook. Readers also contacted Snopes to ask whether it was true.
In short, it was not possible to find any evidence the Chinese government issued the nationwide warning described in the posts, and a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, D.C., said no Chinese government agency issued such a warning. The real guidance behind the rumor also did not instruct ordinary people to call a U.N. “alien communications specialist” if extraterrestrials contacted them. As such, we have rated the claim as false.
Warning did appear in Chinese media
There is a real story behind the rumor. On June 1, 2026, the International Academy of Astronautics, a Paris-based nongovernmental scientific organization, published updated guidelines for people and organizations involved in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI. The document says possible signals should be independently verified and that researchers should not send a reply before international consultation.
These guidelines did receive attention in China. For instance, on June 7, IT Home, a Chinese technology news website, published an article titled (translated using Google Translate) “Do not respond to aliens without authorization! The International Academy of Astronautics updates eight guidelines.” China Science Daily, Shanghai-based digital newspaper The Paper and national television broadcaster CCTV News also reported on the updated declaration.
The article on The Paper’s website appeared in its “Government Affairs” section, which could make it seem like an official government message.
English-language news media outlets similarly reported on the IAA’s updated guidelines.
Graphic may explain how rumor spread
A blue graphic with yellow text in Chinese circulated alongside the rumor in some social media posts. Jingchu Network (荆楚网) — which is part of CnHubei, a news website in Hubei province — posted the graphic on its Douyin account (shown below). The message, translated using Google Translate, reads:
Do not reply to extraterrestrials on your own initiative; the International Academy of Astronautics recommends immediately notifying the United Nations upon the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
(Jingchu Network Douyin account)
The Douyin post cites Red Star News as its source and explains that the message concerned the IAA’s guidelines. On June 7, Red Star News published an article about the IAA update.
Jingchu Network is a state-backed news outlet. According to its website, it is supervised by the Hubei Provincial Party Committee Propaganda Department and the Hubei Provincial Cyberspace Administration. “It is the only national key provincial news website in Hubei Province approved by the State Council Information Office,” the website reads.
The graphic later circulated on English-language social media platforms, where users described it as an announcement posted in China. This may have contributed to claims that the Chinese government itself issued the warning.
Government website also links to the story
The story also indirectly appeared on at least one official Chinese government website.
On June 10, Fushun Municipal Science and Technology Bureau — a government department of the city of Fushun, in Liaoning province — listed (as shown below) a webpage titled, “Do not respond to aliens without authorization! Why did the International Academy of Astronautics call for a halt?” in the “Science and Technology Work Updates” section of its website.
(fskjj.fushun.gov.cn)
However, that webpage originated from outside the department’s website. It was not presenting the message as a new government policy or warning.
Liu Chang, a spokesperson for China’s embassy in Washington, D.C. said via email that the Chinese government issued no such warning:
Based on publicly available information to my knowledge, no Chinese government agency issued such a warning, distributed it through national alert channels, or instructed the public to contact the U.N. about extraterrestrial contact.
The claim may stem from confusion over a revised SETI protocol issued by the International Academy of Astronautics and reported by Chinese media. It was not a Chinese government notice.
Snopes also contacted the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment. We will update this article if we receive a response.
Guidance is for researchers, not ordinary people
The IAA document explicitly says it was written for people and organizations taking part in scientific SETI research. It does not tell ordinary people what to do if an alien personally contacts them.
The declaration says that after a confirmed detection, researchers should take part in international consultations over whether a response should be sent. Until those talks are finished, “no reply should be sent.” It also says those discussions should include the United Nations and other international bodies.
Chinese Science Daily interviewed Zhang Tongjie, a Beijing Normal University professor who took part in discussions about the revised declaration. He reportedly said the cautious approach was based on uncertainty about whether an extraterrestrial civilization would be friendly, hostile or neutral. He was also quoted as saying the declaration was not legally binding.
There is no UN ‘alien hotline’
Social media posts also claimed Chinese citizens were given a phone number for a U.N. “alien communications specialist,” but no such a number is in the IAA declaration. The document directs questions about its principles to the IAA itself.
Searching Google for a United Nations “alien communications specialist” returned no results (archived) suggesting that such a role exists.
Though the declaration says consultations about whether to respond to confirmed extraterrestrial intelligence should involve the United Nations and other international bodies, it also says the specific procedures for such consultations still need to be established in a separate agreement or arrangement.
The idea of an official U.N. representative for alien contact has appeared before. In 2010, a report in British newspaper The Times claimed astrophysicist Mazlan Othman, then-director of the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs, was appointed as Earth’s contact person for extraterrestrials. Othman denied this and said no specific U.N. response role had been decided, while further action would be up to member states.
Therefore, the IAA declaration’s reference to international consultation through the United Nations does not mean there is a U.N. “alien hotline.”
Snopes has contacted the U.N. and, specifically, its Office for Outer Space Affairs to ask whether such a hotline exists. We will update this article if we receive any responses.
Bottom line
All in all, there is a kernel of truth behind the story. In June 2026, Chinese news media outlets did publish messages saying people should not “respond to aliens” without authorization, and an official municipal government website did link to a webpage on the topic.
However, that information came from guidelines for SETI researchers issued by the International Academy of Astronautics. The guidelines say a possible extraterrestrial signal should first be verified and that no response should be sent before international consultation.
Finally, it was not possible to find any evidence that China sent a nationwide emergency alert or gave people a phone number for a U.N. “alien communications specialist.”
