With innovation and strategic governance: China is rising to a global leader in health research

Editor's note: Marie Souliere, PhD, is Head of Editorial Ethics and Quality Assurance, Frontiers Media SA. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

In a recent presentation hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on research integrity, key statistics were cited about the rise of the Chinese research community over the past 20 years. These numbers generated much interest. Using some recent bibliometrics and news items, we will take a deeper look at the development of China's medical publishing presence in the medical field and its status in the world.  Each year, Frontiers, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, co-publishes the "Top 10 Emerging Technologies" report, published in June at the Summer Davos hosted by China. The strong interest in this report is the first indicator of the priorities of the Chinese research community in adapting and developing cutting-edge technologies into medical and technical research.

China's increase in scientific output in the last few decades has been extraordinary, leading to the moniker of 'scientific superpower' from The Economist. This is largely driven by substantial investments in research & development, with China only just behind the United States in this measure. China has overtaken the US in terms of scientific publications and is now the world largest producer of scientific papers. In 2023, China generated around 700,000 research papers, surpassing Europe's combined 690,000, and North America's 550,000. Reports from the Nature Index and Clarivate Analytics confirm this growth in China's contributions to global scientific literature, with an ever-growing proportion of articles by China-based researchers published in prestigious scientific journals.

In 2024, and more specific subject matters within health sciences, there are a few key areas where China is now number one in publishing output, namely in cancer research where China published 52,000 articles, and in Inflammation and Immune System research with 11,400 articles, where both counts are 50% higher than the nearest other country. Oral and gastrointestinal health research is also a key area covered in the country's research, with another 11,400 articles, overtaking the US's 8,700 publications in this category. As you would expect, these shifts in scientific publishing are reflected in the experience of Frontiers, the global open-access publisher where I lead strategic initiatives on ethics and quality. We continue to see strong contributions from China's researchers in the fields of cancer research (Oncology, Immunology and Medicine), as well as with our Research Topics projects, which are Frontiers' unique compilations of articles focused on specific areas within disciplines: we have seen notable success for Chinese-led Research Topics within the field of Psychology with these Research Topics covering important societal themes on social media, addictions and artificial intelligence.

This national growth aligns with significant investments in research, and strategic initiatives in the "Healthy China 2030" and "14th Five-Year Plan". China's strategy for advancing its medical industry mirrors its approach to artificial intelligence (AI) development, where a centralized, long-term national focus has propelled the country to global leadership. Just as the "Healthy China 2030" plan strategically prioritizes healthcare innovation and accessibility, the "New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" (NGAIDP) of 2017 elevated AI to a national strategic level, emphasizing systemic planning and phased implementation. Both sectors benefit from robust government support, including financial investment, regulatory reforms, and infrastructure development, which have fostered rapid advancements. From an external perspective, both strategies also appear to emphasize addressing weaknesses while leveraging strengths.  For example, while the country faced challenges in healthcare accessibility, especially in remote areas, China leveraged its strengths in artificial intelligence and big data to develop telemedicine platforms and AI-powered diagnosis tools to expand healthcare access. In parallel, China has capitalized on its access to a large population and diverse disease spectrum as an opportunity for strategic clinical research and drug development, leading to leadership in pharmaceutical innovation, particularly in the areas of oncology and rare diseases.

The development of China's medical industry in recent years aligns closely with its growing emphasis on publishing open access (OA) research articles supported in policies by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), reflecting a shared commitment to global collaboration and innovation. The dissemination of research through OA platforms has played a critical role in amplifying the global influence of the research output, accelerating the adoption of new technologies, and enhancing the credibility of China's contributions to global health challenges.

Ultimately, by combining innovation with strategic governance, the nation is solidifying its global leadership across critical sectors and rising to a global leader in health research.