Chinese economists have found that the imposition of numerous US sanctions on Chinese corporations has led these companies to actively invest in science and use its achievements in their work. As a result, the number of related publications in scientific journals has increased by 33-85%, according to an article published in the scientific journal Science.
„Our analysis shows that the US sanctions have had far different consequences than their authors expected. It turns out that these measures not only limited Chinese corporations' access to closed Western technologies, but also forced them to more actively engage with open scientific knowledge and participate more in scientific development,“ the economists write.
This conclusion was reached by Wang Yanbo, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, and his colleagues after analyzing data on the activities of a large number of large technology corporations between 2010 and 2022. During this time, some of these companies were gradually added to the sanctions lists, which the researchers used to assess how these geopolitical restrictions affected the innovative activity of Chinese firms.
To do this, the researchers analyzed the number of patents registered by Chinese companies in China and the United States, as well as research published by their employees in leading world scientific journals. The researchers divided these statistics into several periods before and after the imposition of sanctions and examined how Chinese companies changed their attitude towards science after being added to the sanctions lists.
The researchers’ calculations showed that the sanctions forced Chinese corporations to significantly increase their research and innovation activities. On average, they began to publish 40-72% more patents in China, more often cited open international rather than closed American scientific literature, and more often published articles in peer-reviewed journals.
The activity of these companies increased by 33-85% after the imposition of sanctions, indicating increased investment in science. Scientists recorded the strongest growth in critical areas of science and technology, including artificial intelligence, advanced communication systems, quantum technologies, microelectronics and biotechnology. This suggests that the sanctions have not slowed China's development in these areas, but instead have encouraged Chinese companies to shift the focus of their cooperation from the United States to other countries and regions, the researchers concluded.