A comprehensive analysis of global scientific research reveals a dramatically narrowing gap between China and the United States in fundamental research leadership. According to the latest annual report jointly produced by the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institutes of Science and Development, the National Science Library of CAS, and global analytics firm Clarivate, the two nations now compete head-to-head across 11 major scientific disciplines.
The study, drawing on data from highly cited research papers published between 2019 and 2024, demonstrates China’s commanding position in six major fields: agricultural, plant and animal sciences; ecology and environmental sciences; chemistry and materials science; physics; information science; and economics, psychology and other social sciences.
While the United States maintains leadership in five domains—geosciences, clinical medicine, biological sciences, astronomy and astrophysics, and mathematics—its overall advantage has diminished significantly. Notably, China has shown remarkable progress in traditionally weaker areas, climbing to fourth position in clinical medicine and fifth in astronomy and astrophysics.
“The trend of parallel advancement between the U.S. and China is becoming increasingly pronounced,” the report observes, noting that the United Kingdom and Germany constitute a secondary tier in global research leadership.
Emmanuel Thiveaud, Clarivate’s vice-president, acknowledged China’s remarkable scientific trajectory: “Over past decades, we have witnessed tremendous progress China has made and continues to make in research and development. China’s position at the forefront of numerous research fronts comes as no surprise.”
The analysis identified 128 significant research fronts (110 active and 18 emerging), with artificial intelligence emerging as a critical cross-disciplinary force. More than half of emerging research fronts demonstrate AI integration, particularly within clinical medicine and life sciences.
Professor Li Shao of Tsinghua University highlighted that four of seven emerging clinical medicine research fronts involve large language model applications in healthcare. “Targeted algorithms are revolutionizing disease mechanism research, early screening, and precision treatment,” Li noted, emphasizing AI’s growing role in traditional Chinese medicine and major disease prevention.
Pan Jiaofeng, president of the Institutes of Science and Development, pointed to the evolving research landscape: “A new scientific revolution is underway with frontiers constantly expanding. High-throughput single-cell technologies, dark matter detection, and AI integration into scientific research are drawing widespread attention.”
The report serves as both a measurement tool and strategic guide, helping policymakers and researchers navigate the rapidly changing global scientific ecosystem where East-West collaboration and competition are reshaping knowledge production.