(JW Insights) Sep 18 -- China leads advanced technological research in 80% of critical fields including hypersonics and underwater drones, a report from an Australian think tank shows, as the country pulls ahead of the U.S., Europe and Japan through state-led investment, reported Nikkei on September 15.

Out of 23 technologies analyzed by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), China leads research in 19. The rankings are based onh&&&hhhhh&h& the 10% most cited academic papers among 2.2 million published between 2018 and 2022, with a focus on fields considered key to the trilateral security partnership among the U.S., the U.K. and Australia, or AUKUS. The U.S. leads in the remaining four technologies.

China accounts for 73.3% of high-impact research output for hypersonic detection, tracking and characterization, far ahead of the U.S., U.K. and Germany, said the report.

In autonomous underwater vehicles, China accounts for 56.9% of important research. Second-ranked U.S. accounts for just 9.5%.

Competition between the U.S. and China is closer in areas like artificial intelligence and quantum technology. Of the six AI-related fields, China has the lead in four, including drones, while the U.S. ranks first in advanced integrated circuit design and fabrication.

The countries each leads two of the four quantum technology fields. The U.S. has a narrow lead in highly sensitive quantum sensors, which are expected to have applications quantum computing and medicine, while China has the advantage in post-quantum cryptography.

China is promoting domestic high-tech industries: under President Xi Jinping in 2015. It aims to become one of the world's leading manufacturing powerhouses by 2049, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

China;n focuses on 10 fields in particular, such as new information technology including semiconductors, high-tech ships and numerical control tools for advanced robots.

According to the ASPI report, Japan placed in the top 10 countries in just seven fields, including quantum computing and post-quantum cryptography.

The G7 leaders' communique from the Hiroshima summit in May called for the circulation of talent in cutting-edge technology. Leaders of the Quad, which is comprised of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India, have also agreed to promote investment in critical areas such as quantum technology, according to the Nikkei report.

(Gao J)