China is leading international scientific development. A new study shows that China is replacing the United States in key research areas and is increasingly dominating the global research agenda. What does this change mean for Europe?
Engineering, electronics, materials science, physics, and chemistry – China has long been a leading power in many strategically significant scientific fields. Image source: STR/AFP/Getty Images
"Scientia potestas est – knowledge is power!" This saying comes from the 16th century English philosopher Francis Bacon, when Britain was a world power in both science and politics. Bacon hoped to make people realize the strategic value of knowledge – a principle that still applies today.
Today, the global research landscape is undergoing a historic shift. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) shows that in nearly half of the research projects that Chinese and American scientists collaborate on, Chinese researchers take the lead. This number highlights the rapid rise of China's research influence. Now, China has largely taken the lead in international key issues.
New Standards for Measuring China's Research Leadership
The criteria for measuring research strength are no longer limited to traditional indicators - such as the Nobel Prize (although prestigious, it is outdated) or the number of published papers.
An analysis of about 6 million research papers shows that in 2023, 45% of joint research projects between the US and China were led by Chinese researchers, compared to only 30% in 2010.
If this trend continues, it is expected that by 2027 to 2028, China will be on par with the US in strategic fields such as artificial intelligence, semiconductor research, and materials science, taking the lead.
China also leads in the output of research papers. According to the latest G20 Report on Research and Innovation, China's number of research papers is close to 900,000, three times that of 2015.
According to the "Nature Index" assessment, China has already surpassed the US. Among the top ten institutions in terms of the number of publications in Nature Index journals, seven are Chinese institutions.
Although Harvard University remains first, the second to ninth positions are all occupied by Chinese universities, with MIT ranking tenth.
This ranking is quite embarrassing for the West, which has about 20,000 research institutions.
Why is China Catching Up So Quickly?
China has made large-scale investments in research and placed it at the core of its national development strategy.
China encourages students and scientists to work globally and builds networks to strengthen international cooperation. Especially in high-tech industries, through the "Belt and Road" initiative, educational exports are conducted - China invests billions of dollars to attract talent to develop in China and establish global connections.
According to the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), "Science diplomacy is becoming a strategic tool for China to promote the internationalization of research."
System of the Whole Country and Creativity: Advantages and Disadvantages of China's Research System
Speed, strategic investment, and centralized organizational capacity are the main advantages of China's research system. China has achieved outstanding results in engineering, electronics, materials science, physics, and chemistry, with high citation rates.
Western Dilemma: Why the US and Europe Are Weakening
China's rise coincides with a low point for the US and Europe. The US research community has been hit by political turmoil, budget cuts, and talent loss.
Policies of the Trump administration that cut research funding and the US-China confrontation have significantly reduced bilateral research projects, with a trend of talent flowing to China.
Europe may be able to attract some of the researchers who have been affected in the US, but in many scientific fields, Europe still needs to catch up. Major breakthroughs often face constraints from the parochialism or institutional limitations of member states - whether within the EU or more broadly in Europe.
The War for Artificial Intelligence: China and the US Accelerate the Competition, Europe Lags Clearly Behind
Currently, the US still leads in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), but China is rapidly catching up.
China's DeepSeek language model demonstrates China's ability to achieve low-cost technology and rapid commercialization.
Now, China holds a key position in global AI patent applications. The US still maintains some advantages, while European research institutions are clearly behind overall. The best institutions often struggle to enter the top ranks in global competition.
China has largely dominated the global research agenda, and Europe is gradually falling behind in future technological competitions. China's unstoppable rise in research is reshaping the global economy and geopolitical order.
For Europe, a possible response is to strengthen cooperation with Chinese teams to maintain some level of research contact and influence.
However, it remains uncertain how China's research system will cope with the increasingly divided global scientific community and the escalating geopolitical tensions.
Opportunities for Europe: Diversity Is Not a Disadvantage
A truly viable alternative is to firmly build a unified European research force based on going beyond national interests to address the growing trend of division.
Europe's diversity - languages, cultures, and traditions - is not a weakness. It is precisely this difference that can foster creativity that cannot be produced by a single system.
"Knowledge is power" - what Europe needs to do now is to transform its diversity into an innovation driver. As emphasized in the "European Research Area (ERA) Monitoring Report": If Europe can strengthen cooperation and integrate resources effectively, it has the potential to become a competitive research powerhouse center on par with China and the US.
Source: DW
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7568046816060375604/
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