China has now become one of the superpowers in the field of science and technology. Ignoring all accusations from Western countries, this nation of over a billion people has undergone a remarkable transformation.
Chinese science and technology have now “transformed” to compete with the largest powers in the world, and the country even plays a leadership role in certain fields.
This achievement partly stems from the government’s innovative policies, with patents in the country continuously increasing. Initially, this growth originated from technology partnerships with Western countries, leading to self-sufficiency and ultimately positioning itself to dominate the world.
A Smart Move
In the 1960s, the development of economic relations between China and Western countries began, with agreements focusing on “strategic partnerships” alongside the deployment of advanced technologies in China.
This indicates that technology transfer to China decades ago has yielded results.
The nuclear reactor at the Daya Bay power plant in China was built thanks to technology transfer with the French company Framatome (Photo: Berkeley Labs New Center).
For instance, projects in railways or nuclear industries with France have led to significant contracts, and Western nations have also greatly benefited economically from these diplomatic relations.
Daya Bay is China’s first large-scale commercial nuclear power plant. This facility uses two Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR-900) supplied by the French company Framatome.
As partnerships became more balanced, China continued to cooperate in technology transfer, particularly in the aviation sector with Airbus, one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world based in France.
Over time, the nation has absorbed knowledge and accumulated experience. China’s science and technology have gradually become less dependent on Western countries, as China can now develop its own technologies.
Shenzhen Special Economic Zone (China).
Additionally, the country has established special economic zones, significantly contributing to transforming China into the “world’s factory,” allowing the circulation of highly skilled students and creating a vital domestic scientific community.
For example, Chinese companies specializing in solar panels have been established by students from this scientific community, who also research and apply silicon refining methods to improve energy storage for solar panels.
According to a report from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), China leads the global technology competition, outperforming the United States in 37 out of 44 technologies considered critical, such as radio frequency communication (5G, 6G), hydrogen, electric vehicle batteries, nanomaterials, advanced coatings, supercapacitors, and ultrasonics…
Experts predict that in the near future, China has the potential to monopolize these eight technologies.
Rising as a Scientific Power
The strong development of science and technology in China has had a negative impact on Western companies, leading to a decline in their international standing, particularly in sectors like wind energy, railways, and aviation.
After transferring technology to China, Western companies in these fields have faced intense competition, often being outperformed by Chinese firms.
In emerging sectors, China’s growth has been remarkable, especially in green vehicle technology. In 2022, the country captured 60% of the global electric vehicle market.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China has long been ahead of other countries in patent filings, focusing primarily on computer science, telecommunications, and electronics.
Today, Huawei (China) has surpassed Samsung, at one point becoming the largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
According to WIPO, China ranks among the top 11 in the “Global Innovation Index”, which includes factors like political environment, workforce training processes, infrastructure, and financial markets. Research projects in China have continuously improved in both quantity and quality.
In the latest global research organization rankings published by Nature, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has surpassed Harvard University, the Max Planck Society, and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS).
After collaborating on technology transfer with Airbus, China now has its own commercial aircraft models. (Photo: Aviation Week).
CAS has over 60,000 researchers, twice as many as CNRS, which has long been regarded as the largest research organization in the world. China’s spending on science and technology reaches nearly $5 billion, while CNRS has a budget of $4.4 billion. Notably, China is investing in building large research infrastructures, including some of the world’s leading facilities.
At the individual level, or the level of researchers, China has relied on recruiting the best talents from around the world before gradually “producing” a new generation that shines on the international stage.
Today, Chinese researchers are positioning themselves better in global rankings.
The latest list this year shows that there are 304 Chinese researchers in the Top 10,000, 1,982 in the Top 50,000, and 4,178 in the Top 100,000 influential scientists globally. In contrast, France has nearly half the number of these scientists: 177, 1,214, and 2,856 scientists respectively.
In 2023, China launched civilian astronauts to the Tiangong space station built by the country itself (Photo: Space News).
This indicates that China’s science and technology are now prominent in quality as a scientific power ahead of most major Western countries.
At the higher education and research organization level, international rankings also show a breakthrough from China. Notably, 16 Chinese institutions are among the top 25 most influential scientific organizations in the world, according to the Leiden ranking.
All the information above demonstrates that China is emerging as a nation capable of independent research and innovation, competing with the world’s scientific superpowers, and even surpassing them.
