Illustration: Liu Xidan/GT

While much of the news cycle is fixed on the US government's war on US universities, the really significant story is that of the incredible rise of Chinese universities. Nature Index has just released its table of institutions ordered by research outputs which shows that in 2024-25 eight of the world's top 10 universities are Chinese, with Harvard being the only interloper. As Harvard faces threats of massive funding cuts, one questions how much longer Harvard will hold its position. Only two of the US other ivy league universities made it into the top 25.

It truly is a remarkable result for the Chinese academic system, one which would have seemed inconceivable just a decade ago. Then, China had only eight institutions in the top 100, while today, that number has grown to 42, surpassing the US, which has 36.

One of the results of the China academic system has been the phenomenal growth of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) PhD graduates, rising from 7,500 in 2000 to 51,000 in 2022. Comparative figures in the US are 17,800 (2000) to 34,000 (2023), China has been turning out more PhD graduates than the US from 2007, with the gap continuing to widen. 

Some foreign media outlets believe that China's massive investment in scientific research is one of the key factors attracting top research talent. In the race for new knowledge, China has steadily expanded public investment in universities and research, with a total expenditure on research and development (R&D) of 3.61 trillion yuan ($503 billion) (2024), a year-on-year increase of 8.3 percent.

Chinese universities have become increasingly attractive to international students. Many international students are attracted by generous scholarships, relatively low tuition fees and increasing investment in university infrastructure and quality. This opens opportunities for students from less privileged backgrounds, especially in the Global South region. 

The attraction for these students is strengthened by China's international projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative. With increased cooperation between their home countries and China, graduates' experience in China greatly improves their job prospects. 

Behind China's rise in its research capabilities lies an obvious government strategy, with the dominance in chemistry, physical sciences and earth and environmental sciences, showing Beijing's push for leadership in these fields. China's leading research institutions operate within a coordinated national framework which facilitates government strategy.

China has also been rapidly improving its ability to translate scientific research into economic applications in several areas, including computer software, quantum computing, AI, semi-conductors, advanced battery technology, as well as photovoltaics, EV production, its fast train network and space exploration. 

China has also greatly increased expenditure in R&D in pharmaceuticals, medical, health and life sciences, along with agricultural and veterinary sciences, among other areas. Clean technology, in particular, is increasingly dominated in areas such as renewable energy. 

Chinese research is aimed at industries which will shape the next phase of global competition. It is clear that scientific and technological innovation is no longer a weak spot for China. In many of these areas China has already taken the global lead, and where it hasn't, it is fast catching up.

This shift has clear geopolitical implications with knowledge increasingly meshed with national security and economic strategy. Attempting to slow China's progress, the US and its allies, treating technological supremacy as a matter of national security, have placed export controls on semiconductors and restrictions on research collaboration. These containment strategies, however, have clearly failed to hinder China's ability to produce world-class R&D. Instead, they have accelerated Beijing's self-reliance drive.

Of these fast-moving changes, the US think tank Information Technology and Innovation Foundation recently concluded, "China is catching up in R&D - and may have already pulled ahead." 

The results show that while the US is increasingly at war with science and learning, along with the institutions in which promote them, in an often macabre celebration of ignorance, China has doubled down on driving up its numbers of STEM graduates, while its institutions increasingly dominate global rankings. 

With a future to be increasingly marked by the importance of higher learning, with cutting-edge R&D, particularly in the STEM fields, China, with global leading universities and research, looks well-placed to lead into the rest of this century.

The author is a writer, historian and social commentator based in Newcastle, Australia. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn