Written by Anushree B
In the age of rapid innovation, China has become a new scientific superpower, a development which has sparked concern in the US. Within the last twelve years, China’s ranking in the Global Innovation Index has increased from 34thto 12th as of 2023. While scientific innovation can come at the benefit of the human population, it may also allow China to develop its military prowess and lean into spheres of economic or diplomatic influence. After all, it is no secret that holding the keys to scientific innovation unlocks doors to significant military and geopolitical superiority. Xi Jinping has stressed the importance of scientific development to further improve China’s economic status on the global platform and overtake the US.
Recently, China has pursued a strategy prioritising innovation and scientific research to drive their economic development and transformation. The latest spending plan, published by the CCP in 2021, has detailed greater investment into Artificial Intelligence (AI), semiconductors, neuroscience, genetics and quantum technologies. According to the OECD, Chinese spending on R&D has increased by 16 times since 2000. The most recent data collected in 2021 stipulates a large overall spending of $668bn on R&D in China, although this is a considerable $138bn less than the US.
A prime example of China’s scientific innovation is through its prioritisation of agriculture. The past decade has overseen a vast improvement in both the quality and quantity of crop research, which in turn promotes food security. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, agricultural sciences and technological progress constituted over 62% of all agricultural advancements. Unsurprisingly, this focus on agriculture has further resulted in China being considered a global leader in the field and advancement domestically where traditional farming has been optimised and villagers can send feedback to researchers.
Figure 1: Share of global high impact papers (The Economist, 2024)
The Chinese impact on the scientific world can be observed through their academic contributions in the form of research papers and academic journals. In 2022, China published a total of 360,000 international journal articles at a rigorous academic standard, alongside 649,600 citations, making them rank first globally.
According to Figure 1, China is a global leader in materials sciences, chemistry, and environmental sciences. However, the United States and Europe still have significant advantages in the likes of neurosciences and general medical sciences, a gap that Xi Jinping intends to fill.
Another key example is China’s rapid advancement in technology where the country has strongly endorsed technological and digital transformation. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, investment into high-tech industries increased by 10.3% in 2023, and value added by high-tech manufacturing increased by 2.3%. In the Global Top 100 Science and Technology Cluster list, China featured in 24 clusters, making it the country with the most science and technology clusters. Moreover, China has been successful in various space operations where the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has officially become a globally recognised satellite navigation system. While China may be behind in medical and biological sciences, they have made tremendous effort to progress technologically, at the concern of Europe and the US, who naturally have trepidations with an authoritarian state developing cutting edge technology.
Additionally, the number of patents produced China far exceeds any other country. In 2023, China was granted 921,000 invention patents. However, it is important to note that not many are for original designs as much as it is for incremental changes or updates to existing ones. Regardless of this, China’s acceleration in intellectual property growth underscores their rise as a scientific superpower and commitment to achieving influence in this sector.
One of the biggest advantages for China is their access to cheap energy and a strong industrial base. This facilitates rapid development in physical innovation, which gives them a strong upper hand over the West, where production is much slower and more expensive. Further, scientists in China spend less time on bureaucracy, as against their western counterparts, increasing their productivity and allowing them to further innovate. Having said this, China’s scientific funding is powered by the state. There is an argument to be made where private sector spending and market-based competition pave the way for the production of original and pioneering ideas, an advantage that the US currently possesses.
While China is not yet the world’s largest technological power, its commitment to innovation and success in modernising agriculture, boosting research, investment into academic indicate a new scientific superpower on the rise.
