The Annual Forum of the World Laureates Association kicks off in Shanghai on Tuesday. The meeting aims to bring together world-class scientists and promote collaboration with government agencies and companies in creating a top science innovation platform. Photo: CFP

China is making steady progress in becoming a global leader in the field of science and technology (sci-tech) as the country continues to build on its considerable achievements over the past several decades and seeks to create world-class scientific clusters to promote scientific advances and global collaboration.

But even as China rises in the face of a rising tide of economic and technological nationalism, the country continues to strike an open and inclusive tone toward global cooperation on scientific research to the benefit of mankind in direct contradiction to the disruptive words and deeds the world has come to see, particularly from the US.

On Tuesday, China hosted in Shanghai more than 40 Nobel Prize laureates and over 20 other world-class award-winning scientists from around the world to discuss the latest trends in the world of sci-tech and to promote cross-border, cross-field cooperation.

President Xi Jinping sent a congratulatory letter to the opening of the second Annual Forum of the World Laureates Association (WLA) and called on the forum to promote basic science research, advocate international cooperation, support growth of young talents and contribute to a better future for mankind, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

In his letter, the Chinese president also said that China was willing to work with other countries in strengthening research and collaboration, promote sci-tech progress and address the challenges of our age, according to Xinhua.

Mission for mankind 

As part of China's effort to promote global sci-tech cooperation, Shanghai will host a WLA center that aims to bring together world-class scientists, promote collaboration with government agencies and companies and create a top science innovation platform, according to a press release the WLA sent to the Global Times on Tuesday.

The center not only serves as a platform that can match scientific research teams with industrial partners but also promotes cooperation for the benefit of the whole world, said Huang Jing, a research fellow with the Institute of High Energy Physics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing.

"Such cooperation will ultimately benefit our society and all mankind," Huang told the Global Times on Tuesday.

China's latest effort to promote global sci-tech collaboration is in line with the country's broad push to expand globalization and inclusive growth, which has been underscored by major programs it has launched, including the Belt and Road Initiative, experts said.

Such an effort also stands in stark contrast to the economic and technological nationalism the US, which has led sci-tech research and development (R&D) for decades, is pursuing under its "America First" agenda, they noted. 

The US has launched trade wars with almost all major economies in the world and has particularly targeted Chinese high-tech companies in its global crackdown campaign and restricted scholar exchanges, which analysts said was disruptive to global collaboration.

"The US is trying to shut its door because it feels its leadership is threatened by others. But that's a totally wrong path because no one can be the leader forever, especially when other smart minds are cooperating," Xiang Ligang, director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance, told the Global Times on Tuesday, noting that scientific globalization is a mainstream trend and China is playing an increasingly important role. 

China strength 

But beyond China's open arms, global talents are drawn to China for its massive resources and strength in sci-tech R&D accumulated over the past several decades, analysts noted.

"China's progress in science and technology is obvious to all, which attracted top scientists and young talents to the platform," Ju Jinwen, a research fellow with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Economics, told the Global Times on Tuesday.

Backed by steady economic and social developments and sound government policies, China has become one of the fastest-rising stars in the world of sci-tech R&D and innovation. The country is widely believed to be leading in new technologies such as 5G and AI, Chinese experts said. 

In the latest Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in July, China moved up to 14th place in 2019, up from 17th in 2018. China remains the only middle-income economy in the top 30.

"China's innovation strengths become evident in numerous areas; it maintains top ranks in patents by origin, industrial designs, and trademarks by origin as well as high-tech net exports and creative goods exports," the WIPO said in a report.

Behind the rise in innovation capabilities are huge increases in spending on R&D. 

In 2018, China's spending on R&D reached 1.96 trillion yuan ($291.6 billion), up 11.6 percent from 2017, according to official data released in March. 

That accounts for 2.18 percent of its GDP, closing in on the 2.79 percent of GDP the US spent on R&D the same year, according to media reports.

"China is already the leader in applied sciences and is making steady progress in basic science research," said Xiang, the director-general of the Beijing consumption alliance.
Newspaper headline: China rises to be global science leader