China turns the tables in biotech

For at least a century, major scientific research initiatives have reliably occurred in the United States, usually in response to geopolitical competition. This helped establish the country’s status as a global scientific power, enabling the US to set the standards for new technologies and pave the way forward. That edge began to erode around 20 years ago with the success of Chinese universities in engineering and materials science. Most recently, the rise of China’s success in medicine and biopharmaceuticals has happened so quickly that the US risks losing its position of leadership in the life sciences. One would normally expect the US to react vigorously. But these are far from normal times. Saddled with an administration’s apparent indifference, the US has responded not with a bang, but a whimper.