Research in China Gaining Momentum

The Washington Post has published an article today on the growth of scientific research in China.  The article, entitled "China pushing the envelope on science, and sometimes ethics",  is a nice read.

While the U.S. is tightening its belt, China is continuing to invest heavily in research and development.  It may be enough for China to catch up.  From the article:

Centuries after it led the world in technological prowess -- think gunpowder, irrigation and the printed word -- China has barged back into the ranks of the great powers in science. With the brashness of a teenager, in some cases literally, China's scientists and inventors are driving a resurgence in potentially world-changing research.

Unburdened by social and legal constraints common in the West, China's trailblazing scientists are also pushing the limits of ethics and principle as they create a new -- and to many, worrisome -- Wild West in the Far East.

A decade ago, no one considered China a scientific competitor. Its best and brightest agreed and fled China in a massive brain drain to university research labs at Harvard, Stanford and MIT.

But over the past five years, Western-educated scientists and gutsy entrepreneurs have conducted a rearguard action, battling China's hidebound bureaucracy to establish research institutes and companies. Those have lured home scores of Western-trained Chinese researchers dedicated to transforming the People's Republic of China into a scientific superpower.

I am all for healthy competition in science.  To compete, we are going to have to continue investing in research and development even as our federal budget gets squeezed.  Sounds like another great chance for me to plug the America COMPETES reauthorization.  The House has passed it.  Come on Senate!