China now publishes more high-quality science than any other nation—should the US be worried? — Caroline Wagner

By at least one measure, China now leads the world in producing high-quality science. My research shows that Chinese scholars now publish a larger fraction of the top 1% most cited scientific papers globally than scientists from any other country.

I am a policy expert and analyst who studies how governmental investment in science, technology and innovation improves social welfare. While a country’s scientific prowess is somewhat difficult to quantify, I’d argue that the amount of money spent on scientific research, the number of scholarly papers published and the quality of those papers are good stand-in measure…

Today, China is second only to the US in how much it spends on science and technology. Chinese universities now produce the largest number of engineering PhDs in the world, and the quality of Chinese universities has dramatically improved in recent year…

Our research also found that Chinese research was surprisingly novel and creative – and not simply copying western researchers. To measure this, we looked at the mix of disciplines referenced in scientific paper…

Taken together, these measures suggest that China is now no longer an imitator or producer of only low-quality science. China is now a scientific power on par with the U.S. and Europe, both in quantity and in quality.

The Conversation

China now publishes more high-quality science than any other nation – should the US be worried?
Caroline Wagner | Milton & Roslyn Wolf Chair in International Affairs, The Ohio State University

Related

Alongside the post-Cultural Revolution “reform and opening-up” policy, China’s higher education system transformed from a socialist egalitarian model into a “merit-based” model. In 1977, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping officially resumed the <i>gaokao</i> [national test of the Mandarin period].

This was the end of the socialist model based on equality and the beginning of the competitive model that China uses presently not only in education but also politics, being governed on a meritocratic model that is hierarchical, similar to the traditional imperial system of China, the ubiquitous military model, and the modern corporate model of the West. Like Japan, Chinese education is now fiercely competitive and demanding at the higher levels, with only a few slated to occupy the top spots. This is similar to the West, but the competition in China and Japan is more intense.

The whole article is interesting if you are interested in a summary of the development of education in China.

Sixth Tone

What Happened When China Expanded Its Higher Education System?

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