Reportedly, China has a stunning lead in 37 out of 44 critical technologies as Western states are losing a global race for research output. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) came to such a conclusion after studying China’s output in the defense, space, energy, and biotechnology industries.
All the top 10 global research institutes are located in China. The United States also takes a leading position in advanced research but oftentimes, it gives in to China in the ranking. However, when it comes to high-performance and quantum computing, small satellites, and vaccines, the United States has no rivals yet. In these fields, the US is an undisputed leader.
Apart from that, ASPI tracked the most-cited scientific papers, which are likely to result in patents. Analysts stressed China’s unexpected breakthrough in hypersonic missiles in 2021.
"Over the past five years, China generated 48.49 percent of the world’s high-impact research papers into advanced aircraft engines, including hypersonics, and it hosts seven of the world’s top 10 research institutions," they pointed out. As for the fields of photonic sensors and quantum communication, China's research activities may enable it to easily monitor Western intelligence, including the “Five Eyes” of Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
China may also become a monopolist in 10 fields including synthetic biology where it accounts for a third of all research as well as electric batteries, 5G, and nano manufacturing.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences ranks first in most of the 44 tracked technologies: defense, space, robotics, energy, environment, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, quantum technologies, etc.
