An Innovation System for the 21 st Century ? Reflections on China ’ s Science and Technology Reforms

In its latest “Science, Technology and Industry Outlook,” the OECD has called attention to the rapid rise of China’s research and development expenditures and the likelihood that Chinese spending on R&D will surpass that of the US in the not-too-distant future. A growing number of indicators point to rapidly improving capabilities in Chinese science and technology, suggesting that expenditures have produced results. These signs of progress include increasing numbers of papers published in international journals, increasing numbers of patents, a large and expanding community of scientists and engineers, and the successful completion of demanding research and engineering projects in such fields as space, ocean engineering, supercomputing, transportation, materials science, etc. These indicators all point to considerable success in implementing policies for catching up with international scientific and technological frontiers.