Subir Sarkar finds that AI was a hot topic among the 800 delegates who gathered in the Chinese capital last month

Strength in numbers More than 800 delegates from around the world attended the 4th International Congress for Basic Science, which was held in Beijing, China, in August 2026. (Courtesy: ICBS)"> Strength in numbers More than 800 delegates from around the world attended the 4th International Congress for Basic Science, which was held in Beijing, China, in August 2026. (Courtesy: ICBS)

China has made astounding scientific progress over the past decade, with the country outperforming all others in the world according to a recent analysis by Nature . Based on data from 2025, its 2026 Research Leaders study puts China ahead of the US (in second), Germany (third) and the UK (fourth).

Across all disciplines, Nature reports that most (51) of the top 100 institutions in the world are in China, with only four in the UK.…