China is continuing its rise as a global leader in science, forecast to officially surpass the US in scientific publication output by the end of 2018, according to the National Science Board. Although the US spends half a trillion dollars on scientific R&D each year, which is more than any other country, it is closely followed by China, with the EU third and Japan fourth.

Chinese scientists and other foreign-born scientists in the US are heading to China for research, with some calling it the “best place in the world” to establish a research lab. China is spending more on infrastructure than the US or Europe, and along with a growing middle-class, this helps make relocating to China more appealing.

According to some researchers, the Trump administration has enforced policies that devalue their work and threaten their departments with budget cuts, as well as applied strict immigration policies that are hampering the international collaboration and talent acquisition that has long been at the heart of US technological innovation. Because of this, as well as more lax regulations, researchers are attracted to China due to healthy funding from state research institutes and opportunities to conduct a wider range of research. For contrast, the US increased its research expenditures an average of 4% annually between 2000 and 2015, while China upped its research spending an average of 18% each year during the same time period.

Source: The Washington Post