TOKYO -- China leads advanced technological research in 80% of critical fields including hypersonics and underwater drones, a report from an Australian think tank shows, as the country pulls ahead of the U.S., Europe and Japan through state-led investment.
Out of 23 technologies analyzed by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), China leads research in 19. The rankings are based on the 10% most cited academic papers among 2.2 million published between 2018 and 2022, with a focus on fields considered key to the trilateral security partnership among the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, or AUKUS.