Stronger Support For U.S. Research Is Needed To Meet Asian Science's Growing Challenge

As the United States science community seeks to maintain its leadership position globally, it must not ignore the increasing capability of Asian scientists, and it must not underestimate the Pacific Rim nations' drive to become as dominant in science as they have become in high technology. No longer are Asian researchers just an audience for American scientists; they are emerging as leaders on their own, with a level of support from their countries that many U.S. investigators would find enviable. Although comprehensive information on Asian scientists is not available, many signs point indirectly to these scientists' growing interest in Western research activity. One such indicator is the dramatic rise in Japanese purchases of English-language books, journals, newspapers, and manuscripts from the U.S.: These sales, having quadrupled from $60 million in 1986 to $240 million in 1990, put Japan right behind the United Kingdom, which spent $300 million in 1990, as a consumer of U.S. scientific literature. Sales of U.S. publications to other Asian countries doubled in the same period, with seven nations (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Malaysia) spending $131 million on U.S. books and journals. The reason that these U.S. exports are skyrocketing is clear: Asian nations are becoming keen on deepening their scientific endeavors--and they are willing to put a ton of money into support for these activities. The biggest spender on science and technology is Japan, which in 1989 spent $95 billion, or 2.91 percent of its gross national product, on research and development, the highest level in its history. And today, Japanese research in the biological sciences rivals America's. Concerning the size of the work force, the 1990 UNESCO Statistical Yearbook says that Asia's scientific and technical work force potential reached 32 million people in 1985--second only to North America's 33 million. And the 1990 Digest of Education Statistics tells us that in 1987, more people were enrolled in institutions of higher education in Asia (35 million) than in Europe (25 million) or North America (23 million). Moreover, many Asian governments have made it a national policy to encourage scientific and technical professionals to return to their respective homelands. Endowed with $80 billion in foreign currency reserves, for example, Taiwan is urging Americans of Chinese descent to work in Taiwan, thus reversing the brain drain from Taiwan that was evident for decades after World War II. The Singapore government has a similar program to recruit Singaporean migrs to return to their homeland. The U.S., of course, has played a large role in training the new generation of Asian scientists. More than half of all foreign students on American campuses are from Asia; in 1988, 174,000 men and women from 10 Asian countries were studying in the U.S., compared with 45,000 from Latin America and 42,000 from Europe. The recognition of intellectual property rights by various Asian governments is adding fuel to the growth of Asian science and technology. For example, Taiwan--long notorious for pirating American books for sale at very low prices--in recent months has begun penalizing pirates for the first time in four decades. And recently, China finally caved in to U.S. demands that it provide protection against piracy for U.S. pharmaceuticals, software, publications, and music recordings. The new respect for intellectual property rights sends a clear signal that the Asian nations are fast becoming confident in their own intellectual property--that they are growing less dependent on the U.S. for their scientific expertise. Scientists outside of the U.S. are challenging the supremacy of American scientific research. America needs to focus its energy and invest additional funds to stay at the forefront of the global research community. James Chan is a Philadelphia-based consultant who helps American companies do business in the Asia Pacific region.

Stronger Support For U.S. Research Is Needed To Meet Asian Science's Growing Challenge

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