China ranked 11th overall in the World Intellectual Property Organization’s 2022 Global Innovation Index, up 23 spots from ten years ago.

Fact of the Week: China Jumps to 11th Overall in the 2022 Global Innovation Index

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

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

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

Since 2015, the number of Chinese students enrolling in U.S. PhD programs has decreased by about 3.7 percent, while the probability a Chinese student will enroll in a PhD program in another English-speaking country, such as the UK, Australia, or Canada, has increased by 2.1 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

Global Times cited ITIF’s “Can China Innovate?” series, which examines China’s rapid rise in advanced industries by evaluating global R&D and innovation benchmarks, in an article on China’s evolving academic system, scientific research capabilities, and the growth of its STEM PhD graduates.

With Science Institutions Dominating Global Rankings, China Is Well-Placed to Lead

A study finds that over 99 percent of a sample of 5,260 listed Chinese firms received government subsidies totaling €35.3 billion in 2022, double the amount from 2015.

Fact of the Week: More Than 99 Percent of Listed Firms in China Receive Direct Subsidies From the Chinese Government

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

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

Related

Fact of the Week: China Jumps to 11th Overall in the 2022 Global Innovation Index

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

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