China has become the world’s second-largest producer of scientific knowledge, surpassed only by the US.

China’s gross expenditure on R&D grew at an annual rate of 18 per cent between 1995 and 2006. If it continues on its current trajectory, China will overtake the US before 2020.

China’s student population has reportedly reached 25 million, up from just 5 million nine years ago, with 700 higher-education institutions.

In 1998, China’s research output was around 20,000 articles per year. In 2009, it exceeded 120,000 articles, second only to the US’s 350,000.

China produces 10 per cent of the world’s publications in engineering, computer sciences and earth sciences, including minerals. It now also produces 20 per cent of global output in materials sciences, with a leading position in composites, ceramics and polymer science and a strong presence in crystallography and metallurgical engineering.