China's tech rise reshapes the global space race

Published 1 July 2026 · science

China is pulling ahead in global research rankings and expanding its ambitions in space. With growing technological leadership, Beijing is positioning itself as a rival

China is pulling ahead in global research rankings and expanding its ambitions in space. With growing technological leadership, Beijing is positioning itself as a rival to the United States on a global scale. Lai Kai-ying, the first female Chinese civilian to reach outer space, is on board China's crewed Tiangong space station, where she orbits the Earth 16 times a day, alongside two other Chinese astronauts. Tiangong is a unique microgravity laboratory for scientific experiments designed to provide new insights into humanity's future. Today, aviation and spaceflight are once again shaped by ideological rivalry, echoing the mid-20th-century space race between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the 21st century, however, Washington's primary competitor is no longer Moscow, but Beijing. US space agency NASA intends to retire its landmark research outpost, the International Space Station (ISS) by 2032. When that happens, China will be the only country operating a permanently crewed orbital station. China dominates cutting-edge research Space travel is just one of many fields worldwide in which China now holds a technological lead, according to Nature. Lai Kai-ying (L) is the first astronaut from Hong Kong and China's first female payload specialist Image: Maxim Shemetov/REUTERS The journal's latest index of research leaders, which reveals the leading institutions and countries/territories, puts China in first place — well ahead of the United States and Germany. Nine of the Top 10 research institutions were from China, with only the US elite university Harvard ranking third. Germany's Max Planck Society ranked in 13th place. "It is now almost irrelevant which global rankings you consult. Universities and research institutions in China lead in many fields," observed Christina Beck, spokesperson for the Max Planck Society (MPG), Germany's preeminent research organization.

The Nature Index also shows that Chinese research institutions are the clear leaders in biology, chemistry and physics, as well as in other applied sciences. Only in health sciences and the social sciences have they been surpassed by US institutions. Strong investment underpins success The rise has taken place steadily over the past two decades, says Richard Heidler, director of information management at the German Research Foundation (DFG), Germany's largest research funding organization. "While in the early 2000s it was primarily the volume of publications that increased significantly, bibliometric analyses over the past decade have also shown growing gains in impact-related indicators, such as the share and number of highly cited publications," Heidler said. In other words, China is not only publishing more, but is becoming increasingly better and more visible, a rise Beck from the Max Planck Society said is based on a long-term development process. "Key to this has been sustained, systematic funding for scientific institutions and universities in China sustained over many years — particularly through the international training of researchers and through substantial investments in large-scale research infrastructure," Beck said. China's leaders have long recognized that technology is the key to its success. The country's 15th Five-Year Plan, the country's economic and political road map for 2026–2030, calls for a continued expansion of its innovation capabilities. Central to Beijing's strategy is the development of "new productive forces" — innovation-driven growth engines based on advanced technologies and industrial transformation. The plan highlights a range of key future industries, including artificial intelligence, quantum technology, nuclear fusion, biotechnology and life sciences, brain-computer interfaces, as well as deep-sea and space exploration. Ideology shapes research cooperation China and the US are locked in an intense competition over next-generation lunar missions.