Centre on China’s Economy and Institutions na univerzi Stanford je objavil zanimivo poročilo o “begu kitajskih možganov” iz ZDA. Po letu 2010 je 20 tisoč top kitajskih znanstvenikov zapustilo ameriške akademske inštitucije. Kitajski študenti, predvsem v naravoslovnih in tehničnih znanostih, so tradicionalno zelo pomembni za ameriško znanost in. tehnološki razvoj. Med vsemi doktorati v ZDA leta 2020 iz znanosti in inženiringa jih je 17 % (približno 5800 od 34 000) šlo tujim študentom iz Kitajske. Velika večina takih prejemnikov doktorata nato ostane v ZDA. Med letoma 2005 in 2015 je približno 87 % novih doktorjev znanosti in tehnike, rojenih na Kitajskem, nedržavljanov, poročalo, da bodo ostali v ZDA. Vendar je nova ameriška politika do Kitajske, imenovana “Kitajska iniciativa” sprožila beg kitajskih znanstvenikov iz ZDA, ki se v ZDA nenadoma ne počutijo več varne.
Kaj to pomeni za ZDA? Pomeni predvsem upočasnitev napredka ameriške znanosti in tehnološkega napredka ter posledično njeno dodatno pospešitev na Kitajskem. To pomeni, da bo Kitajska, ki je glede vlaganj v raziskave in razvoj že prehitela ZDA in ki je globalno vodila pri 37 od 44 kritičnih tehnologij prihodnosti, še hitreje povečevala svoj znanstveni in tehnološki naskok pred ZDA. To pomeni znanstveni in tehnološki upad zdaj že nekdanjega globalnega tehnološkega centra.
Če smo zlobni – pa kaj pomeni beg nekaj tisoč kitajskih znanstvenikov iz ZDA v primerjavi s sto tisoči polpismenih imigrantov, ki vsako leto ilegalno pridejo v ZDA?! Slednji so namreč lahko koristni kot potencialni volilci proti Trumpu (kar je nasploh ameriški fenomen). No, v resnici ti ilegalni imigranti še bolj kurijo ameriški populizem, ki ga tako s pridom zlorablja Trump. Vendar se je treba vprašati o cost-benefit učinkih “obratnega bega možganov” in koliko si ZDA lahko razvojno pomagajo z nekaj milijoni priseljenci v času, ko jim trendno izginja industrija. Ampak v ZDA se že nekaj časa nič več ne zdi logično…
Scientists of Chinese descent play an outsized role in U.S. science. Previous research has shown that China has been the most important foreign supplier of U.S.-based scientists for more than two decades. Among all 2020 U.S. doctoral degrees in science and engineering, 17% (roughly 5,800 of 34,000) went to foreign students from China. The vast majority of such PhD recipients then stay in the U.S. Between 2005 and 2015, approximately 87% of China-born, non-citizen, new PhDs in science and engineering reported they would stay in the U.S.
The China Initiative accelerated out migration from the U.S. The researchers identified a total of 19,955 scientists of Chinese descent who began their careers in the U.S. but left for other countries, including China, between 2010 and 2021. The number of Chinese-descent scientists migrating out of the U.S. has steadily increased from 900 in 2010 to 2,621 in 2021. Part of the reason for this rise are “pull factors” from China, including China’s large and rapidly growing investments in science, high social prestige and attractive financial rewards tied to positions in Chinese institutions, and capable research collaborators and assistants.
But this research also reveals a significant “push factor.” Following the implementation of the China Initiative in 2018, departures of U.S.-based, China-born scientists increased by 75%. Among the scientists of Chinese descent who left the U.S. in 2010, 48% moved to mainland China and Hong Kong, and 52% moved to other countries. As of 2021, the percentage of relocated scientists moving to China increased to 67%. The life sciences field has witnessed the most significant exodus abroad, with over 1,000 life scientists leaving in 2021.
An insane 61% of remaining scientists of Chinese descent are considering leaving the U.S. (bear in mind that China has been the most important foreign supplier of U.S.-based scientists for more than two decades: U.S. science is extremely dependent on scientists of Chinese descent).
45% of scientists of Chinese descent are avoiding federal grant applications (i.e. they live in such a climate of fear that they’re reluctant to get their research funded)
72% of scientists of Chinese descent report that they “do not feel safe as academic researchers”; 42% are “fearful of conducting research”; and 83% have “experienced insults in a nonprofessional setting in the previous year”.
Of the five possible reasons for “not feeling safe as an academic researcher in the U.S.,” most survey respondents pointed to fears of “U.S. government investigations into Chinese-origin researchers” (67%) and “Anti-Asian hate and violence in the U.S.” (65%).
This also reveals the fact that even extremely educated individuals with profound knowledge of both systems (i.e. scientists from China and working in the US) vote with their feet in the thousands to return to China.
Meaning that it confirms how profoundly deluded the narrative we’re always told on “if only the Chinese were informed about ‘freedom’ in the West they’d topple their government”. Actually… many those who have in fact directly experienced this “freedom” – and the smartest ones to boot – are like “hell no, I’m going back to China”…
Bodite pozorni na wishful-thinking odstavek, s katerim se konča poročilo:
Chinese talent is important for continued U.S. leadership in science. The research suggests that attracting scientific talent from China and keeping scientists of Chinese descent from returning to China or moving to other countries requires alleviating fears and cultivating a welcoming environment for conducting scientific research. U.S. science and society should continue to attract Chinese scientists to maintain U.S. global leadership in science and technology.
DAMIJAN blog 