Is America afraid of China’s scientific power?

By Edoardo Carr Deputy editor The Economist. For many years the West has looked askance at the science coming out of China. Researchers there were accused of mass-producing poor-quality work. They were seen as imitators and intellectual-property thieves, rather than as innovators. Our cover this week seeks to lay these old stereotypes to rest. China is now a leading scientific power. Its scientists produce some of the world’s best research, particularly in chemistry, physics and materials science. They contribute to more papers in prestigious journals than their colleagues from America and the European Union and they produce more work that is highly cited. China’s best universities are world-class.That poses a dilemma for America and its allies. Cutting-edge science produces knowledge that benefits all humanity. However, a more innovative China may also thrive in fields with military uses, such as quantum computing or hypersonic weapons. Is the rise of Chinese science welcome or worrying? Finally, in case you missed it, we launched our American presidential election model this week. Alarmingly, our forecast says Donald Trump has a two-in-three chance of winning in November. The race could be no coin flip.