Alan I. Leshner1 and Vaughan Turekian2
One of the world's fastest-growing economies is also the world's fastest-growing supporter of scientific R&D. As of last year, China had moved to third place in the world in national R&D funding, closing fast on Japan, which was number two behind the United States. Not surprisingly, this rapid development has been garnering worldwide attention but also some concern. Although there are people who feel threatened by any competition, others are more reasonably worried that China's continuing rise may be at the expense of broader global societal issues, such as environmental protection, natural resource use, and research integrity. But overall, the rapid rise in Chinese science is good for China and the rest of the world, and the global scientific enterprise should do all it can to help.
1Alan I. Leshner is Chief Executive Officer of AAAS and Executive Publisher of Science.
2Vaughan Turekian is Chief International Officer of AAAS.
