According to Radio Free Asia, a research report on the world’s scientific research trends from 2000 to 2016 found that engineering has become the latest trend in China, second to medical research. According to the High Council for the Evaluation of Research and Higher Education in France, in China, engineering has replaced physics, chemistry, and biology and has become the subject that has the second largest number of published papers, next to medical science. At the same time, the research work being done on the humanities and on the social sciences is falling behind. RFA quoted comments from one of the experts who stated that the humanities and social sciences are a potential means for nurturing social unrest, which might bring too much risk to the Chinese government. On the other hand, science and technology, engineering, and mathematics research are seen as conducive to maintaining economic growth, and to maintaining social and political stability.
Source: Radio Free Asia, September 10, 2019
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/yataibaodao/kejiaowen/cc-09102019122246.html