China is rapidly closing the gap with the United States in medical research publications, according to leading scientific publishers, a trend driven by government policies and developments in artificial intelligence (AI).
Marie Soulière, head of editorial ethics and quality assurance at Frontiers, one of the world’s largest academic publishers, said China’s overall research output is gradually overtaking that of the United States, with its lead most evident in the field of medicine.
“In 2019, China overtook the United States in share of medical articles, with 22% of published content in these areas coming from China, compared with 19% from the United States. Since then, China’s share has grown and remains at around 40%,” Soulier told The Washington Post in an interview this month.
“In Frontiers alone, 15,158 medical papers were published by Chinese researchers in 2023, nearly eight times as many as in 2019.”
“The development of cancer research in China, particularly in oncology and immunology, gained momentum around 2010, driven by major policy changes and investment in innovation,” Soulière said.
