German Media: How Chinese Universities Are Surpassing the West
A guest commentary in Die Welt states that while Western elite universities focus primarily on grand ideals such as diversity, sustainability, and social justice, Chinese universities are rapidly outpacing the West in academic achievement.
Professor Axel Meyer from the University of Konstanz, an expert in evolutionary biology, shared his impressions after visiting Zhejiang University. He declared: "China is the future of global scientific research, whereas the West is losing the advantages it once had." In a guest article titled "How Chinese Universities Are Surpassing the West" published in Die Welt, Professor Meyer wrote:
"Germany used to be home to the largest group of Nobel laureates, and German was once the official language for academic papers in physics and chemistry worldwide—those days are long gone. Unfortunately, the number of German universities declining in global rankings far exceeds those rising. The 'Excellence University' initiative, implemented for over 20 years, has brought no improvement whatsoever. Scientific output, measured by the quantity and quality of academic publications—for example, the so-called 'Nature Index,' which tracks publication volume and impact in top-tier journals like Nature—is highly objective. On this metric, Zhejiang University has become the world's most productive university."
Many American universities, including Harvard, are seeing their rankings decline because Chinese universities have developed at an extraordinary pace, while Western institutions can no longer even maintain their current level. The era when the top ten most renowned universities globally were all located in the United States is now over. At least according to the Leiden Ranking, eight of the world’s top ten universities are already from China, and the results from the 'Nature Index' are largely similar.
The quality of academic journals is assessed by their influence. Globally, the three most influential interdisciplinary journals are Cell, Nature, and Science, collectively known as CNS. These journals enjoy such high prestige precisely because they are extremely selective—almost every submission is rejected. In China, universities exert immense pressure on researchers to publish in these journals: at some top-tier Chinese universities, junior assistant professors who fail to publish in CNS journals within their first five years of employment face a 50% salary reduction. Conversely, successful publication earns them approximately $50,000 in bonus rewards.
By contrast, during my own tenure at so-called 'Excellence Universities' and across the entire German higher education system, publishing in top academic journals brings neither financial incentives nor any recognition—even receiving a simple compliment from university leadership is nearly impossible. Overall, China is more Westernized in many respects, and thus its universities are more successful than many of their counterparts in Western countries.
The reasons behind this situation are multifaceted. If recruitment and admission criteria prioritize gender or diversity over talent and academic performance, a decline in academic quality is inevitable. If universities believe their mission is to make the world more moral and fair rather than pursuing truth (veritas), then reduced academic output is also unavoidable. Furthermore, the expectations and work ethic of today’s students and faculty members contribute significantly—such as demands for better work-life balance, increased vacation time, and more holidays.
In his guest commentary published in Die Welt, Professor Meyer noted that while China employs rigorous examination and competitive mechanisms like the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) to select talent, the once-cherished principle of meritocracy ("Die meritokratischen Prinzipien") in the West has been increasingly forgotten. He wrote: "In Germany, master's theses with perfect scores or doctoral degrees are now almost ubiquitous. Even a doctoral student with no real scholarly ability cannot easily be rejected—it's nearly impossible to disqualify someone in Germany."
"The Chinese government's long-term and already effective plan aims to dominate science fields with economic and military significance. The world today is not shaped by abstract feminist diplomacy, but by the raw logic of power. Germany is clearly slipping in both research and economic competitiveness. In the near future, German universities may lose the capacity to offer certain specialized disciplines, will be unable to sustain their current number of institutions, and certainly won't be able to continue providing free music education for international students."
"We must quickly reclaim the virtues once widely admired in German culture—virtues that China itself once praised. Now, we've become a laughingstock because we shut down nuclear power plants, imposed energy prices bordering on self-harm, and levied punitive taxes that have forced critical industries to shut down or relocate. The whole world knows we can no longer build infrastructure properly; our trains are no longer on time, and our stations and city centers feel unsafe. Given this reality, it will be China—not Germany—that attracts talent in the future."
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1860584413986825/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.