China has made "amazing progress" in 37 of 44 key and emerging technologies, a safety security group said Thursday, after falling behind in defence, space, energy and biotechnology, as global democracies jostle for research findings around the world.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) said its research shows that the top ten research institutes in the world are located in China and that some areas are located in China.
The study, which was funded by the US State Department, found that despite the US's global progress, it often comes second in terms of high energy, quantum information technology, small satellites and vaccines.
The report stated that "Western democracies are losing out to global technological competition, including the race to produce scientific research," and urged governments to invest more in research. The report also calls for greater collaboration among democracies to build secure channels of supply and to "rapidly pursue improvements in key strategic technologies."
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute tracks the most cited scientific papers it says are most likely patented. He said that if the powerful results of Chinese research are revealed, it may be possible to get a glimpse of China's sudden breakthrough in hypersonic missiles in 2021.
"In the past five years, China has produced 48.49% of the global high-impact research papers on advanced aircraft engines, including hypersonic engines, and has subjected seven of the world's top 10 research institutions," said the Express Institute.
In the areas of optical sensors and quantum communications, China's research capabilities may mean that it lacks oversight from Western intelligence agencies, including the UK, USA and Canada's "Five Eyes" coalition. New Zealand, he added.
The institute also tracks the national flow of talent from researchers and identifies monopoly risks. He pointed out that China is likely to monopolize 10 areas, including: synthetic biology, as it produces a third of the total research output, in addition to batteries, fifth generation networks, and nanotechnology manufacturing.
The Chinese Academy of Sciences, a government research agency, ranks first or second in most 44 technologies, particularly defense and aerospace, robotics, energy and environment, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, advanced materials, and quantum technologies.
The institute said that China has stepped up research using knowledge gained abroad. The data showed that five of the best Chinese researchers were trained in one of the five countries.
The study recommends reducing illicit technology transfers through visa filtering programs and supporting international cooperation with security allies.