Developing Basic Science in a Diverse and Open Atmosphere with a Long-term Perspective

文/金奇奐（Kihwan Kim）

I have been researching developing quantum computers with trapped ions at Tsinghua University since 2011. In this article, I would like to briefly review the development, the current status and position, and the potential for the future of Chinese academia of science and technology in the world. Furthermore, based on my experience at Tsinghua University, I would like to emphasize that more international openness, exchanges, and cooperation are essential to moving from the following research to leading research in the future.

I was born in South Korea and received my bachelor’s, master’s, and doctorate degrees in South Korea. After that, I did postdoctoral research at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, and the University of Maryland, USA. As a result, I have had various science and technology experiences, especially studying atomic physics in Korea, Europe, the United States, and China. In particular, with government support, we have developed research for quantum computers using ions at Tsinghua University. During the research program, 11 students received their doctorates, and these students are pursuing and contributing to related research in various universities, research institutes, and companies. I am deeply grateful to be able to conduct research and education at Tsinghua University with good research conditions and excellent students.

China’s science and technology status has developed remarkably over the past decade, reaching the world’s highest level in many fields. According to the Global U.S.-China Science and Technology Competition Topographic Map released by the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI), China ranked first in the total number of papers, the number of the top 10% and 1% cited articles in the field of physics and astronomy for three years from 2017 to 2019. It is said that in these indexes, the gap with the United States is getting larger. According to my experience, the potential of China’s scientific and technological development is excellent, and its status is likely to grow further in the future. From the perspective of human resources in science and technology, the potential of China is impressive. Each of the students I supervised was excellent in unique ways. In addition to their quick ability to understand and acquire knowledge, some students had an innate sense of experimentation, some excelled at programming, and some persisted in solving challenging tasks. They were excellent students who were second to none. Not only from Tsinghua University and Peking University but also students from various other universities were outstanding. Perhaps it was because they were students who had passed the fierce competition of middle and high schools in China.

Moreover, there is strong support from the government for research projects. I believe this government support is not limited to my field. It was reported that research funding from the government in science and technology has been growing at a rate exceeding China’s GDP growth rate. And as the country considers science and technology essential, it is expected that this increase in support will not decrease. Furthermore, attracting scientific and technological talents has been very successful. In particular, the proportion of Chinese skills abroad who prefer to return to China has increased significantly.

However, when I talked to Tsinghua University students, Tsinghua University is not the most preferred place for graduate studies. Also, it would not be easy to say that universities or research institutes in China are the most preferred place for international talents who have completed their doctoral and postdoctoral research and are looking for positions as independent principal investigators. There may be various reasons, but I think it is because most research in China is not leading the world, but they are still catching up with existing popular topics.

At the same time, with the fast development of science and technology in China, various checks and constraints are increasing. Recently, in our research, many overseas pieces of equipment that were previously easy to purchase have been delayed or prohibited.

Therefore, most people would agree that Chinese science and technology is at the stage of changing from “following research” to “leading research.” However, due to these checks and regulations from outside China, many think China should be self-sufficient in science and technology, led by only the Chinese. I agree that these thoughts are unavoidable in some critical technology and industrial areas. However, basic science must have diverse and flexible ideas and considerations to transform Chinese science at the world-leading level with a long-term perspective. Chasing and catching up with advanced science and technology is relatively easy compared to advancing it to the world-leading level. Making a true breakthrough and pioneering a new path in basic science is not something that we can be easily predicted and achieve.

However, as history shows, basic science and technology development has been better achieved in an atmosphere where diverse international talents freely exchange, collaborate, and recognize and encourage creativity. During World War II, for example, there were many surprising discoveries and developments in the United States, which could accommodate and provide opportunities to many international talents and researchers; rather, unlike Germany, which tried to develop science and technology with only its people. Therefore, if more international talents are attracted to doing science and technology in China, this will be a huge advantage.

Various talent attraction programs in China have been successful, contributing a lot to developing science and technology in China. However, it is primarily for wellestablished overseas people, especially those of Chinese origin. I would argue that at this point, it might be better to be more open so that talented young international researchers with potential will be attracted to China. Such a policy change could be an excellent solution to change the culture of the Chinese scientific community in a way that values leading rather than following and overcoming international restrictions. First, new leading research is often coming from talented young researchers. Second, recognizing China as a land of opportunity for young researchers could change the international perception of the Chinese scientific community. Third, through integrating more young international researchers, international exchanges and cooperation with other countries can be strengthened and developed naturally.

金奇奐（Kihwan Kim，韓國），清華大學物理系長聘教授。圖為清華大學校長王希勤（右）為金奇奐教授（左）頒發聘書

Also, I’d like to point out that, in my experience, the difficulties and challenges that need to be addressed to attract these young international talents may not be so hard. It is because, for many young scientists, the research environment is the most crucial factor, and the Chinese research environment is already robust, as I mentioned above. Therefore, the biggest obstacle would be the uncertainties in starting a career in China. However, this can be addressed with the cooperative efforts of the government, universities, and departments.

In summary, an essential transition from follower to leader of the Chinese scientific community can be achieved by becoming an attractive place with opportunities for talented young researchers from China and other countries, which can be a solution to the problems of current technological constraints and checks.