China 'to overtake US on science' in two years

[Gerald]

China is on course to overtake the US in scientific output possibly as soon as 2013 - far earlier than expected.

That is the conclusion of a major new study by the Royal Society, the UK's national science academy.

The country that invented the compass, gunpowder, paper and printing is set for a globally important comeback.

An analysis of published research - one of the key measures of scientific effort - reveals an "especially striking" rise by Chinese science.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12885271

Note: 28 March 2011 Last updated at 21:28 GMT

[Platapus]

Good, then maybe we can be the country that steals technology and saves the R&D expenses.

It is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to be the second best than the best.

[tater]

From the article:

A sociologist originally from Shanghai, Dr Cao told the BBC: "There are many millions of graduates but they are mandated to publish so the numbers are high.

He goes on to say much of the quality is not high. If they want to really bump their numbers, publish in climate science, they have pretty low standards.

Even when it does pass us (amazing that however many billion people haven't already, lol) it's not a big deal.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Good, then maybe we can be the country that steals technology and saves the R&D expenses.

It is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to be the second best than the best.

Was also thinking somewhere along those lines

[Ducimus]

Heh, yeah i can see it now. Some years hence, someone in china is going to be saying, "Cheap American knock off!"

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Heh, yeah i can see it now. Some years hence, someone in china is going to be saying, "Cheap American knock off!"

Cheap only in quality, expensive in price.

[Ducimus]

Originally Posted by Platapus

Cheap only in quality, expensive in price.

As painful as it is to admit, your right. We have some serious social issues with the current generation. Things i was raised to believe such as:

-Do it right or don't do it at all.
-Your job isn't done tell you clean up
-Always do your best, even if its crappy work because its your name and reputation behind what gets done.

Things like that, are disturbingly absent it seems. I hear about it first hand. My father, ex steelworker union man, worked his way up to company foreman. So he's on the other end of the union line now. He's traded in his blue jeans and steeltoe boots, for kahki pants and loafers. The level of craftsmanship he and his coworkers possessed when on the union side, and the level of craftsmanship that is currently on the union side of the line, are very very different, and for the worse.

[MothBalls]

Originally Posted by Platapus

It is a hell of a lot cheaper and easier to be the second best than the best.

Except when it comes to war.....

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by article

Although China has risen in the "citation" rankings, its performance on this measure lags behind its investment and publication rate.

As tater mentioned, quantity is not quality, so I see this article as being a bit on the alarmist side. However, China has done much with quantity in a little over 3 decades of actual economic develompent, and that's just with the Special Economic Zones, the rest of the nation being Communist in all but actuality.

They won't be catching up to us in 2 years, but they will catch up rapidly. Perhaps even surpass us. That is, unless their lopsided demographics ruin them before their standards surpass ours sufficiently.

[Gerald]

China has in many cases worked hard to become the world leader in several areas, and it's not just U.S., but there are disadvantages in a rational and that all the time wanting to be "best" in person, there is a high chance that they eventually can not follow their plans for the simple reason, the economy, employment and the country's infrastructure, requiring constant modernization