As one of the world's fastest-growing economies, China is also the world's fastest-growing supporter of scientific research and development (R&D), the Science journal said in an editorial published on December 8.
China's national R&D funding has taken the third place in the world, just behind the United States and Japan, according to the publication obtained by Xinhua.
China sees a rapid increase in R&D investment, with an annual growth rate of 18 percent over the past five years. By contrast, the United States, Japan and the European Union grew at a combined average rate of about 2.9 percent, the editorial said. (Source: Xinhua, Dec 6, 2007).)