China gaining top scientific talent as leading researchers leave US

South China Morning Post features in its article that a growing trend of Chinese scientists returning to China from the US is reshaping the global scientific landscape. 

China should prioritise the development of original technologies and scientific knowledge while harnessing the expertise of scientists returning from the United States, according to renowned Chinese-American mathematician Yau Shing-Tung. After retiring from Harvard University in 2022, Yau took up a teaching position at Tsinghua University with the goal of helping China become a global mathematics powerhouse.

Yau explained that many ethnic Chinese students have been pushed out of the US due to discrimination, including accusations that they were misusing American research funds to benefit China. He added, “Chinese scientists have no choice but to leave the US because they work best under a supportive research environment.”

He further noted, “This exodus is unfortunate for the US as it could diminish its research capabilities. For China, the return of these scientists means it is gaining top talent, but it also results in weakened ties with the US and a loss of first-hand knowledge of advanced technologies.”

The trend of leading scientists leaving Western institutions for Chinese academic and research centers is growing, with Yau’s math center at Tsinghua University in Beijing being one such example where top foreign mathematicians are being recruited.

By Naila Huseynova