{"paragraphs":[{"text":"中国在研究与开发（R&D）上的支出已达到一个值得庆祝的里程碑，证明了北京对科学和技术持续投入的决心。","urgent":false},{"text":"去年，这一支出占国内生产总值的比例创纪录地达到2.8%，总额超过3.92万亿元人民币（5848亿美元），也高于经济合作与发展组织（OECD）成员国的平均水平。
China’s spending on research and development (R&D) has reached a milestone worth celebrating, a testament to Beijing’s sustained commitment to science and technology. It hit a record 2.8 per cent of gross domestic product last year, exceeding 3.92 trillion yuan (US$584.8 billion) and beating the average for Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member states.
然而，在力争引领世界技术前沿的过程中，中国仍任重道远。","urgent":false},{"text":"2.8%涵盖了所有研发支出，包括由企业和私营部门资助并开展的研发。按购买力平价衡量的产出份额计算，中国目前已与美国持平。","urgent":false},{"text":"简单来说，在购买实验室时间、工程和科学人才方面，1元人民币在中国国内所能购买的，要远多于1美元和1日元在美国和日本所能购买的。
Yet, there is still a long road ahead as the nation strives to lead the world at the technological frontier. The 2.8 per cent covers all R&D, including that funded and performed by businesses and the private sector. As a share of output measured by purchasing power parity, China now matches the United States. Put simply, a yuan buys considerably more laboratory time, and engineering and scientific talent, at home than its dollar and yen equivalent in America and Japan.
按这一标准，中国研发总支出已从十年前约为美国水平的72%，上升到如今的大致持平。北京的五年规划指出，中国研究人员总数接近800万，规模在世界上遥遥领先。","urgent":false},{"text":"然而，规模并不等同于实力。两个问题尤为突出：对基础研究的投入不足，以及企业部门参与程度相对较低。","urgent":false},{"text":"基础研究仅占中国研发总支出的约7%，而美国为17%，欧盟为15%。
By that measure, China’s total R&D spending has climbed from about 72 per cent of the American level a decade ago to roughly parity today. Its research workforce, nearly 8 million strong, is the world’s largest by some margin, as Beijing’s five-year plan notes. Scale, however, is not the same as strength. Two issues stand out: insufficient investment in basic research, and the relatively modest participation of the business sector. Basic research accounts for only about 7 per cent of China’s total R&D spending, compared with 17 per cent in the US and 15 per cent in the European Union.
这种不平衡是可以理解的。一个追赶中的国家自然会更注重应用研究，而不是前沿研究。但 cutting edge 是在前沿研究中打造的；如果没有前沿研究，中国就有可能在竞争中始终处于第二位。","urgent":false},{"text":"北京显然认识到了这一点。今年的政府工作报告将增加基础研究支出列为优先事项。基础研究支出占比直到最近才刚刚首次突破7%的门槛。
The imbalance is understandable. A country playing catch-up naturally concentrates on application rather than frontier research. But the cutting edge is forged in frontier research; without it, China risks remaining second in the race. Beijing evidently recognises this. This year’s government work report makes spending on basic research a priority. The share has only recently crossed the 7 per cent threshold for the first time.
长期来看，中国有望迎头赶上。","urgent":false}]}第二个弱点更加紧迫，也更难解决。美国作为科技超级大国的地位，不仅依靠政府，也依靠工商企业和私营部门。其领先科技公司在前沿和基础研究方面的投入远高于其他领域，而且往往不考虑明确的商业化机会，至少在短期内如此。
Over time, there is reason for optimism that China will catch up. The second weakness is more urgent and harder to address. America’s standing as a science and technology superpower rests not only on the shoulders of its government but also on its business and private sector. Its leading technology companies spend far more on frontier and basic research, often without any clear commercial opportunity, at least in the short term.
相比之下，中国企业大多将投入局限于有望立即带来商业回报的应用开发或研究。
By comparison, Chinese businesses largely confine their spending to applications or research that promise immediate commercial returns.
一个显著的例子是华为。作为中国电信业的领军企业，华为去年将超过21%的营收投入研发，折合1923亿元。它取得了一些最重大的突破，这并不令人意外，例如Tau缩放定律——一种突破传统晶体管微缩路径、进一步提升芯片性能的新方法。如果没有如此深厚的投入和承诺，这类突破不可能实现。
There is a notable exception. Huawei, the national telecommunications champion, devoted more than 21 per cent of its revenue to R&D last year, equivalent to 192.3 billion yuan. It is hardly surprising that it has delivered some of the most significant breakthroughs, such as the Tau scaling law, a new approach to advancing chip performance beyond conventional transistor shrinking. Without that depth of commitment, such a breakthrough would have been impossible.
其他中国企业，包括一线科技巨头，也未能达到华为的投入力度。总体而言，私营部门比公共机构更高效、更具创新力，而中国面临的问题是，私营部门参与基础和前沿研究的程度仍落后于美国。
Other Chinese companies, including top-tier technology giants, fall short of matching that ambition. The private sector, in general, is more efficient and innovative than public institutions, and China’s problem is that private sector participation in basic and frontier research trails America’s.
然而，这并非仅凭企业意愿就能解决的问题。政府同样必须营造更有利的环境，使长期研究具有商业合理性。
Yet this is not merely a matter of corporate will. The government, too, must create a more conducive environment, one in which long-horizon research makes commercial sense.
知识产权保护已得到大幅改善。那些愿意投资于可能需要十年才能结出硕果的发现的企业理应受到保护。香港拥有成熟的法律体系，为全国发展发挥了真正的作用。
Intellectual property protection has been greatly improved. Firms willing to invest in discoveries that may take a decade to bear fruit deserve protection. Hong Kong, with its established legal framework, has played a genuine role for the nation.
同样 essential 的是耐心资本，即愿意等待数年而非几个季度才能获得回报的投资在这方面，中国及其私营部门相较于 constantly looking at next quarter earnings 的美国企业具有优势。
Equally essential is patient capital, investment willing to wait years rather than quarters for a return.
北京已经证明，它能够以科技超级大国的规模进行投入。接下来的任务是确保资金流向最关键的方向，并让国内最有活力的企业有信心和动力去承担使命，而不只是盯着财务报表。只有这样，投入上的持平才能转化为探索发现领域的领导地位。文：南华早报编辑部
Here, China and its private sector enjoy an advantage over US companies constantly looking at the next quarter’s earnings. Beijing has proved it can spend at the scale of a scientific superpower. The next task is to ensure that money flows to where it matters most, and that the country’s most dynamic companies are given the confidence and incentives to take on missions, not just look at the balance sheet. Only then will parity in spending translate into leadership in discovery.