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China — Not The US — Is Now The Global Leader In Science & Tech
Yasmeen NaseerApr 27 2023
The United States and its Western neighbors are gradually losing ground to China in the race to develop advanced technologies and attract top talent. Historically, the US has led the world in Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI), and propelled advancements in various industries, agriculture, and the economy. Through policy incentives, the US successfully attracted and utilized skilled labor from around the world and secured its position as a global leader in STI.
Local American youth however, are increasingly turning away from STEM subjects and the US is now facing a significant challenge from China in the realm of technology. How, however, did a once poor country emerge as a driving force in technology?
In 1977, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping introduced the Four Modernisations, one of which aimed to bolster China’s scientific and technological progress. Special teams were sent to learn from the developed world and tasked with replicating their successes in China. Concurrently, the Chinese government increased funding in education, particularly in Research & Development, while implementing policy incentives.
As recently as 2000, the US produced significantly more scientific papers annually than China. However, over the past three decades, China has made substantial investments to grow domestic research programs, foster relationships with international academic institutions, and encourage a shift towards manufacturing high-tech products.
Since 2000, China has sent an estimated 5.2 million students and scholars abroad to study at leading universities worldwide, with a focus on Europe, Japan, and America. Most of these students pursued degrees in science and engineering. While many remained abroad, others returned to China to work in well-funded laboratories and high-tech companies.
Today, China is second only to the US in science and technology spending and Chinese universities now produce the highest number of engineering PhDs globally. Their quality has also improved dramatically in recent years.
mage source: Nikkei Asia
Image source: Forbes
In 2017, Chinese scholars published more scientific papers than their American counterparts for the first time. This increased quantity however, did not initially translate into high-quality research. For years, Western researchers criticized Chinese research as mere imitation, and Chinese academic papers received limited attention from the global scientific community.
Recently, however, Chinese research has become more novel and creative, and China has evolved into a scientific powerhouse, rivaling the US and Europe both in quantity, and in quality.
According to a year-long study by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, China now leads in 37 out of 44 tracked technologies, including electric batteries, hypersonics, and advanced radio-frequency communications like 5G and 6G, while American has retained its leadership only in the remaining seven, which include vaccines, quantum computing, and space launch systems.
In some fields, all top 10 leading research institutions worldwide are based in China, and collectively produce nine times more high-impact research papers than the second-ranked country, which is often the United States. There is also a high likelihood that China will establish monopolies in eight technologies, including nanoscale materials and manufacturing, hydrogen, ammonia for power, and synthetic biology.
According to a report by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, China’s advancements in nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles in 2021 should have been anticipated by the US. Over the past five years, China generated 48.5% of the world’s most high-impact research papers on advanced aircraft engines, including hypersonics, and hosts seven of the world’s top 10 research institutions in the area.
Military vehicles carrying the DF-17 hypersonic ballistic missile, capable of flying at five times the speed of sound, are seen during a parade in Beijing in October 2019. Image source: The Guardian
These developments have alarmed researchers and policymakers in the US, and have prompted the US government to take steps that attempt to slow China’s growth. The recent CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 explicitly limits cooperation with China in research and manufacturing; the Biden administration has also imposed restrictions that limit China’s access to critical technologies with military applications. How effectively these measures will slow down China however, remains uncertain, as other countries are still eager to collaborate with China in the domain of cutting-edge technology.
The US may need to accept a reduced role as a strategic leader in scientific fields, ceding the spotlight to China’s. But in the face of growing sanctions, and in the aftermath of a major crackdown on local tech companies, will China be able to maintain its technology advantage? Stay tuned to find out.
China — Not The US — Is Now The Global Leader In Science & Tech
The United States and its Western neighbors are gradually losing ground to China in the race to develop advanced technologies and attract…
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