To regain global leadership, the EU needs a unified digital/tech strategy, major investment in innovation, market integration, strategic state-market coordination (learning from China's focus on scale/speed without copying its governance), supporting startups, and nurturing its strong academic base, while leveraging its existing strengths in areas like sustainability and trade.
The lesson from China's university rise is massive state investment, global talent attraction, and strategic industrial policy, but Europe must adapt this to its democratic model, focusing on integration and sector-specific support.
Lessons for the EU from China's Rise:
Massive Investment: China poured billions into higher education, rapidly climbing global rankings and research output.
Talent Attraction: Aggressively drawing global talent to bolster its innovation ecosystem.
Strategic Coordination: Effective innovation needs state and market working together, as seen in China's tech growth, but Europe needs its democratic version.
Scale & Speed: Learning from China's ability to scale innovation quickly, even if duplicating its authoritarian model isn't an option.
How the EU Can Become First Again:
Unified Digital & Industrial Policy: Develop a cohesive, continent-wide strategy for key digital sectors, breaking down internal barriers.
Boost Innovation & Investment: Scale up instruments to mobilize private capital, support local financing, and foster entrepreneurship.
Strategic Sector Focus: Move beyond general policies; embrace different approaches for different sectors, like B2B, IoT, and AI.
Deepen Integration: Become more nimble and integrated than the US or China to leverage its diverse strengths.
Leverage Existing Strengths: Act assertively in areas like climate, sustainability, trade, and development where Europe is already strong.
Support the Ecosystem: Cultivate a strong academic base, skilled workforce, and innovative companies, learning from how China supports its startups.
Key Takeaway: Europe doesn't need to copy China's authoritarian model but must learn from its strategic focus on scaling innovation, unified action, and massive investment, adapting these principles to its unique democratic framework.
"For many years, Chinese universities sent up to 30% of their students to study at American universities, primarily in science and mathematics.
Harvard University has fallen to third place in the international ranking of scientific research productivity for the first time. The top two spots are held by Chinese universities – Zhejiang University and Shanghai University. Six more Chinese universities are in the top 10, which also includes the University of Toronto alongside Harvard as the only non-Chinese institutions. These are the findings of the latest Leiden Ranking, compiled by the Centre for Science and Technology Studies at Leiden University in the Netherlands and considered highly authoritative worldwide.
How did the Chinese manage to achieve this breakthrough and displace almost all American universities from the top ten?
They invested heavily
The first reason for the breakthrough of so many Chinese universities on the international stage is unprecedented government support.
In recent years, the Chinese have implemented two very large-scale programs to support universities – "Project 211" and then "Project 985." These programs covered up to 800 universities. The state supported high-level programs, including postgraduate, master's, and doctoral programs.
Funds were allocated to scientific research, attracting world-renowned scientists to work at Chinese universities or bringing back their own scientists who had worked at American universities, providing them with leadership of research teams, and increasing the number of scientific publications in all leading international journals. Another wave of support was aimed at leaders, strengthening the position of leading universities and their partnerships. And all this yielded results.
Also, in addition to direct government support, universities were given ample opportunities for borrowing. Therefore, universities were able to upgrade their campuses, laboratories, and purchase equipment. Yes, many have very significant difficulties in repaying loans, some have been restructured, and some banks still have serious problems. But these are the problems of the banks, not the state or the universities." Many universities have been modernized.
However, that's not all. For many years, Chinese universities sent up to 30% of their students to study at American universities, primarily in science and mathematics. Their tuition was paid with the expectation that the students would return home afterward to teach, lead research teams, departments, and institutes. Moreover, the Chinese students often gained not only knowledge but also teaching experience at American universities, winning competitions for teaching positions at leading universities, including primarily the Ivy League universities (the eight most prestigious and oldest private universities in the northeastern United States, which provide the most elite education, including Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, and others). And, indeed, many of them later returned to China.
Europeans held their ground, Americans retreated.
And what happened to other well-known universities?
European universities, which account for about a third of all international rankings, have generally maintained their positions. More than half of the places in the rankings until 2010 were occupied by American universities, but by 2020 their share had decreased to a third. Their places were taken by universities in the Pacific region, primarily China, Hong Kong, and South Korea.”
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