China publishes 1% more of most-cited scientific papers on AI than others

In 2022, Chinese papers outnumbered US papers by a 2:1 ratio in the top 1% most-cited AI research

US analysts of government investment in science and technology (S&T) report that China has taken the lead in highly regarded scientific research in cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI).

“Chinese scholars now publish a larger fraction of the top 1 per cent most-cited scientific papers globally than scientists from any other country,” said Caroline Wagner, a US policy expert who studies government investment in S&T.

China’s sprint to the top began in 1977, when the science-minded Deng Xiaoping, who succeeded Mao Zedong, introduced the Four Modernisations. One of these was to strengthen China’s progress in S&T.