It’s widely understood that Beijing invests significant resources in shoring up its science and technology prowess, but the extent and flows of the Chinese government’s public investments in S&T are not as well known. This project tracks publicly available information about the budgets of more than two-dozen high-level Chinese government entities, including those that support science, technology, and talent recruitment.

In this proof-of-concept project, CSET and Amplyfi Ltd. used machine learning models and Chinese-language web data to identify Chinese companies active in artificial intelligence. Most of these companies were not labeled or described as AI-related in two high-quality commercial datasets. The authors' findings show that using structured data alone—even from the best providers—will yield an incomplete picture of the Chinese AI landscape.

CSET Research Analyst Will Hunt discusses the future of emerging tech should China gain leverage over the United States in the semiconductor industry.

CSET research finds that one-fifth of Chinese students will not be allowed to enroll in STEM programs due to U.S. visa restrictions.

CSET Research Analyst Emily Weinstein emphasizes the increased role China's civil entities play in its military and defense strategy.

Foreign investors comprise a significant portion of investors in top U.S. AI startups, with China as the leading location. The authors analyze investment data in the U.S. AI startup ecosystem both domestically and abroad, outlining the sources of global investment.

Open source intelligence (OSINT) and science and technology intelligence (STI) are realized differently in the United States and China, China putting greater value on both. In the United States’ understanding, OSINT “enables” classified reporting, while in China it is the intelligence of first resort. This contrast extends to STI which has a lower priority in the U.S. system, whereas China and its top leaders personally lavish great attention on STI and rely on it for national decisions. Establishing a “National S&T Analysis Center” within the U.S. government could help to address these challenges.

CSET report reveals that most workers and researchers in the field of artificial intelligence come from overseas.

CSET Research Analyst Ryan Fedasiuk analyzes China's investment in internet and social media censorship.

Research from a CSET analysis emphasizes the growing number of Chinese students studying STEM in the United States.