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China: The rise of a science superpower

Roland Pease explores how decades of strategic investment and diligent educational reform have brought China to the brink of global scientific dominance.

Roland Pease explores how decades of strategic investment and diligent educational reform have brought China to the brink of global scientific dominance. As the world鈥檚 other scientific superpowers seemingly retreat from their historical high ground, how has China achieved such remarkable progress, both in applied and fundamental sciences? And what might that mean for the rest of us?

Image: A humanoid robot competes in the 1500m final at the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games, at the National Speed Skating Oval in Beijing, China on 15 August 2025 (Credit: Tingshu Wan/Reuters)

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Wed 26 Aug 2026 23:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 22 Aug 2026 11:06GMT
  • Sun 23 Aug 2026 02:06GMT
  • Sun 23 Aug 2026 13:06GMT
  • Sun 23 Aug 2026 16:06GMT
  • Wed 26 Aug 2026 09:06GMT
  • Wed 26 Aug 2026 23:06GMT