China has entered the United Nations’ annual list of the world’s ten most innovative nations for the first time, displacing Germany, Europe’s largest economy, as companies in Beijing ramp up investment in research and development.
Switzerland held on to the top spot, a position it has maintained since 2011, followed by Sweden and the United States. China came in tenth in the Global Innovation Index (GII), which assessed 139 economies against 78 indicators.
The survey showed that China is on course to become the leading spender on Research and Development (R&D), rapidly narrowing the gap in private sector investment.
However, the global outlook for innovation is overshadowed by falling investment. Growth in R&D is forecast to slow to 2.3% this year from 2.9% in 2024 – already the weakest since 2010 in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
China accounted for roughly a quarter of international patent applications last year, remaining the largest source, while the United States, Japan and Germany – which collectively represent 40% – all registered slight declines.
Patent ownership is widely regarded as a key measure of economic strength and technological expertise.
In the longer term, Germany should not be overly concerned about its slip to eleventh place, said GII co-editor Sacha Wunsch-Vincent, noting that the rankings did not take into account the impact of tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
“The challenge for Germany is how, alongside its strong, decades-long role as an industrial innovation powerhouse, it can also become a leader in digital innovation,” said World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang.
The other countries in the top ten – positioned between the United States and China – were South Korea, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Finland, the Netherlands and Denmark.
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French senators on Monday approved a revised 2026 budget bill that the government warned could worsen the country’s fiscal deficit, setting the stage for tense negotiations between parliament’s two chambers later this week.
Russia’s human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, has said that Ukraine has not provided Moscow with a list of thousands of children it alleges were taken illegally to Russia, despite the issue being discussed during talks in Istanbul.
Iranian authorities have seized a foreign tanker carrying more than 6 million litres of smuggled fuel in the Sea of Oman, detaining all 18 crew members on board.
An explosive device found in a vehicle linked to one of the alleged attackers in Bondi shooting has been secured and removed according to Police. The incident left 12 people dead.
The latest round of clashes between Thailand and Cambodia has left 15 Thai soldiers dead and 270 others injured, Thailand’s Ministry of Defence spokesman Surasant Kongsiri said at a press conference on Saturday.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa has offered condolences to President Donald Trump following an ISIS attack near the ancient city of Palmyra that killed two U.S. soldiers and a civilian interpreter, Syrian and U.S. officials said Sunday.
China’s core artificial intelligence (AI) industry is projected to surpass 1.2 trillion yuan in 2025 (about $170 billion), up from more than 900 billion yuan in 2024, according to a new industry assessment.
Time Magazine has chosen the creators behind artificial intelligence as its 2025 Person of the Year, highlighting the technology’s sweeping impact on global business, politics and daily life.
Children are forming new patterns of trust and attachment with artificial intelligence (AI) companions, entering a world where digital partners shape their play, their confidence and the conversations they no longer share with adults.
The International Robot Exhibition (IREX) opened in Tokyo on 3 December, bringing together visitors to explore robotics applications for industry, healthcare, logistics, and everyday life.
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators, including prominent Republican China hawk Tom Cotton, introduced the SAFE CHIPS Act on Thursday, aiming to prevent the Trump administration from easing restrictions on China’s access to advanced artificial intelligence (AI) chips for a period of 2.5 years.
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