The newly launched Nature Index 2025 Science Cities complement exhibits that the variety of Chinese cities within the international prime ten rose from 5 in 2023 to 6 in 2024, marking the primary time China holds a majority within the rankings.
LONDON, Dec. 1 (Xinhua) — From Beijing’s bustling laboratories to distant sensing satellites orbiting above, a sequence of not too long ago launched worldwide rankings and experiences from prestigious establishments and main tutorial publishers reveal a “meteoric rise” in China’s analysis capabilities. The findings present that China has firmly established itself as a number one power in innovation high quality and scientific management, injecting new vitality into the worldwide quest for sustainable improvement.
TOP-TIER INNOVATION HUBS
The newly launched Nature Index 2025 Science Cities complement exhibits that the variety of Chinese cities within the international prime ten rose from 5 in 2023 to 6 in 2024, marking the primary time China holds a majority within the rankings.
Measured by “Share,” the first metric of the Nature Index, Beijing has retained its place because the world’s prime science metropolis for the ninth consecutive yr. The capital’s analysis output grew by greater than 9 p.c between 2023 and 2024.
The index additionally locations Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing and Hangzhou firmly throughout the international prime ten. Shanghai alone recorded a surge of practically 20 p.c in output.
For the primary time, Chinese cities account for greater than half of the world’s prime ten scientific analysis hubs, based on the Nature Index 2025 Science Cities complement.
Further evaluation exhibits that Chinese cities maintain a powerful benefit in chemistry, bodily sciences, and earth and environmental sciences, main the worldwide rankings in all three fields. Notably, Chinese cities claimed all the highest ten positions in chemistry for the primary time. In the opposite two topic areas, they secured six of the highest ten spots, with Beijing rating first worldwide throughout all three domains.
Broader innovation metrics verify this development. The Global Innovation Index 2025, printed by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), ranked the “Shenzhen-Hong Kong-Guangzhou” cluster because the No. 1 science and expertise cluster on the planet. For the primary time, China has additionally entered the ranks of the world’s prime ten most progressive economies.
ADVANCING TOWARD GLOBAL LEADERSHIP
Alongside general enhancements in scientific analysis output, the worldwide affect of Chinese scientists has continued to develop.
A latest examine printed within the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) highlights this structural shift. Data exhibits that Chinese scientists now lead greater than half of all joint analysis initiatives with friends within the United Kingdom, with comparable management patterns rising in collaborations with companions within the United States and Europe.
This management is supported by world-class analysis high quality. In the Highly Cited Researchers 2025 record launched by Clarivate, a worldwide analytics chief, the Chinese Academy of Sciences secured the highest spot worldwide with 258 mentions, surpassing Harvard University.
Analysis by the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT) gives additional validation. Its November report famous that when ranked by high-impact publications quite than complete quantity, China has surpassed the United States in analysis power, significantly in arithmetic, computing and engineering.
“I have witnessed first-hand the developments that have led to what many may find a surprising – even shocking – development,” stated Erik Forsberg, the report’s writer, referring to the fast evolution of China’s tutorial capabilities over the previous twenty years.
A complete 70-year examine launched by New York University earlier this yr discovered that China produced 47 p.c of all distant sensing journal papers worldwide in 2023.
CONTRIBUTING TO GLOBAL SOLUTIONS
A latest international report launched by Springer Nature, a world-renowned scientific publishing group, exhibits that China is the most important contributor to papers associated to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Chinese scientific achievements are enjoying an more and more essential function within the formulation of worldwide SDG insurance policies.
China’s SDG-related analysis findings have been broadly cited in varied SDG coverage paperwork, with 25 p.c of citations coming from worldwide organizations such because the World Health Organization. Since 2022, the impact of Chinese SDG-related papers on international well being and environmental coverage paperwork has been significantly important, the report stated.
“China’s research results are widely cited across different countries,” stated Nicola Jones, director of the SDG Programme at Springer Nature, highlighting the worldwide utility of Chinese scientific output.
This aligns with a broader development famous by Nature Editor-in-Chief Magdalena Skipper. In an earlier interview with Xinhua, Skipper noticed that whereas scientific analysis is a worldwide endeavor, China is making an more and more influential contribution to the worldwide analysis ecosystem throughout a number of metrics.