China appears to have surpassed the United States in the scientific field. China leads the way in 37 out of 44 areas surveyed. In the field of synthetic biology and nanomaterials, the country faces the risk of achieving a monopoly.
According to the research center, China is leading the development of batteries, hypersonic devices and radio frequency communications, such as 5G and 6G. The United States remains a leader in just seven scientific areas, including vaccines, quantum computers, and missile launch systems.
The Australian researchers looked at “high-impact” research in critical and emerging technologies, which was published in top scientific journals and frequently cited by other scientists.
Great scientific power“Our research shows that China has built the foundation to position itself as the world's leading science and technology superpower. The country has a sometimes astonishing lead in key research in the majority of emerging technologies,” the report said.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences ranks first or second in most of its 44 areas of technological research. The country relies heavily on Western talent in this regard. “A fifth of the significant papers were written by researchers trained in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand,” the think tank wrote.
