Is China a tech superpower? The charts showing its strength in robots, patents and PISA scores
China has placed itself at the forefront of the world in industrial and scientific capacity. It has done so very quickly. Its next challenge is to surpass the US in cutting-edge AI.
China is now a technological superpower, evidenced by its dominance in robots, patents, and PISA scores. In the last three decades, its GDP has risen to match or surpass that of the United States and the European Union, and the percentage of Chinese living below $3 a day has dropped to nearly zero. The country’s vast size, enormous population, and natural resources contribute to its immense power.
China's industrial, scientific, and technological strength is now unparalleled. It generates 28% of the world's total manufacturing value-added, surpassing the combined might of the US, Japan, and Germany. Chinese-made products dominate major consumer goods, accounting for 65% of toys, 74% of porcelain tableware, 71% of stainless steel cookware, and 68% of laptops globally.
In recent years, its industrial prowess has extended to advanced technologies like solar panels, batteries, and electric vehicles. Chinese factories are increasingly automated, with over 295,000 industrial robots installed in 2024, more than the rest of the world combined. Chinese battery manufacturers CATL and BYD are trailblazers, boasting superior energy-dense designs.
China leads the world in patent filings, with 70,000 applications through the international PCT system in 2024, a quarter of all global submissions, ahead of the US and Japan. Scientific output has also surged, with Chinese academic publications doubling between 2017 and 2023, outpacing the US and EU combined. A growing proportion of Chinese publications achieve top citation rankings, surpassing European contributions.
Medical research is another area where China has made rapid strides. Chinese clinical trials now account for 30% of global trials, ahead of Europe and nearly equaling the US. Chinese universities are rapidly expanding, with 16 ranking among the top 100 by Shanghai Rankings in 2023, compared to none in 2015. In the global top 500, Chinese institutions have overtaken the US, with 115 institutions in the top 500 versus the US’s 111.
Chinese students also excel academically, with PISA results placing four Chinese regions at the top of math, science, and third in reading. They surpass both Spain and the US by significant margins, with math scores 150 points higher than their counterparts. This academic excellence is mirrored in the field of artificial intelligence, where Chinese researchers dominate.
As of 2022, nearly half of the authors of top AI papers were Chinese, many of whom continued their studies at US universities before returning to China. However, the US remains ahead in AI model development, as Chinese models follow US models by several months. Nevertheless, Chinese labs are rapidly closing the gap, and by 2025, US chip companies will hold 96% of the accumulated computing capacity, leaving Chinese alternatives still lagging behind.
Written by urgent.news from El Pais's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
