In 2023, the United States invested about $175 billion in research conducted at government institutions and universities. That same year, the EU invested about $180 billion, and China about $200 billion.

Fact of the Week: China and the EU Invest More in Research at Government Institutions and Universities Than the US

When innovation mercantilists such as China implement distortionary subsidies to inflate their volume of publications, they become less likely to carry breakthrough research essential to innovation.

Fact of the Week: China Sourced the Most STEM Articles in 2020, But the United States Had the Highest Share in the Top 1 Percent That Were Most Cited

China’s patent output has grown dramatically in recent years, both in terms of the volume of patents submitted for international protection under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) and in terms of the number of citations those patents receive, a standard measure of a patent’s importance. New research breaking down the sources of those citations raises significant doubts about whether the growth in Chinese patent citations is as meaningful as it appears.

Fact of the Week: Chinese Patents Received 90 Percent as Many Citations as Other Countries From 2001 to 2009, but only 32 Percent as Many Foreign Citations

A recent report by Japan’s National Institute of Standards and Technology found that China accounted for 4,744 of the approximately 17,440 scientific research papers that made up the top 1 percent in terms of citations. This accounted for 27.2 percent of that group.

Fact of the Week: China Now Leads the World in the Number of Top-Cited Scientific Research Papers Produced

The study finds that for technologies that China has identified as strategic, a patent application’s risk of rejection rises from 16.6 to 25.6 percent if it is foreign, an increase of 54 percent.

Fact of the Week: Foreign Applications for Chinese Patents in Key Technologies are 54 Percent More Likely to be Rejected

In a ranking based on the total number of high-quality research articles they publish over the calendar year, Chinese universities claim 9 of the top 10 spots in the academic category.

Fact of the Week: Nine of the Top 10 Global Research Universities Are in China

Recent years have seen China increase its spending on basic and applied research, which is likely to drive its innovation going forward and could be a large factor behind an eventual Chinese leadership role in global innovation.

Fact of the Week: Chinese R&D Spending Rose More Than 10 Percent in 2019

20.4 percent of China’s population aged 16 to 24 years old (not including full-time students) were unemployed in April.

Fact of the Week: China’s Youth Unemployment Rate Reaches Its Highest Level on Record in April

Fact of the Week: China's Youth Unemployment Rate Reaches Its Highest Level on Record in April

A new study finds the U.S. share of global manufacturing will fall to 11 percent by 2030, while China’s will increase to 45 percent.

Fact of the Week: Tensions Have Led to a 3.7 Percent Decline in the Probability of Chinese Students Enrolling in a US PhD Program

Related

Fact of the Week: China and the EU Invest More in Research at Government Institutions and Universities Than the US

Fact of the Week: China Sourced the Most STEM Articles in 2020, But the United States Had the Highest Share in the Top 1 Percent That Were Most Cited

Fact of the Week: Chinese Patents Received 90 Percent as Many Citations as Other Countries From 2001 to 2009, but only 32 Percent as Many Foreign Citations