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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Wall Street closed higher on Tuesday, boosted by optimism over artificial intelligence (AI) and a strong rally in Moderna shares, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average approaching a record high.
At least four people were killed and several others injured on Tuesday during fighting in Aleppo, northern Syria, state media reported. The government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are trading blame for the violence.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a declaration of intent on Tuesday outlining the future deployment of multinational forces in Ukraine.
The United States has presented Israel and Syria with a proposal for a security agreement that would establish a joint economic zone along the border, Axios reported on Tuesday.
Germany’s foreign intelligence service secretly monitored the telephone communications of former U.S. President Barack Obama for several years, including calls made aboard Air Force One, according to an investigation by the German newspaper Die Zeit.
Israeli media report that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chaired a lengthy security meeting that reportedly focused on the country’s regional threats, including Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday (4 January) that the United States could carry out further military action in Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said Washington now effectively controls the country.
At the end of last year, U.S. President Donald Trump was reported to have raised the Azerbaijan–Armenia peace agenda during a conversation with Israel’s prime minister, warning that if peace were not achieved, Washington could raise tariffs on both countries by 100 percent.
President Ilham Aliyev said 2025 has politically closed the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, as a Trump-era reset in U.S. ties, new transport corridors and a push into AI, renewables and defence production reshape Azerbaijan’s priorities.
Tesla delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9%, as BYD becomes the top EV maker.
SpaceX will gradually lower 4,400 Starlink satellites this year to improve space safety.
Poland has asked the European Commission to investigate TikTok after artificial intelligence-generated content calling for the country to leave the European Union appeared on the platform, which Warsaw says was likely Russian disinformation.
Tianhui-7 satellite to be used for geographic mapping, land resource surveys, and scientific research.
Iran successfully launched three satellites on Sunday using a Russian Soyuz rocket from Russia’s Far East, marking the latest stage in growing Iran-Russia space cooperation.
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