China is catching up fast in medicine

 10-Jul-16, Korea Times

Over the past 20 years, many Korean doctors have visited China to share their knowledge of modern surgical techniques and research methods as the once-secluded country embraces change. But for how long will they do so?

Image: Korea Times / Jung Min-ho]

Renowned cardiologist Jang Yang-soo was one of the popular lecturers who traveled to China. Since 1991, he went to medical schools in many different cities to share his know-how of treating coronary artery patients - until they stopped inviting him five years ago. "They are so good at it now," Jang, a senior cardiovascular professor at Severance Hospital in Seoul, said. 

This is just one of the many signs of a medical power shift in Asia: China is catching up fast to Korea and even to Japan. Although it is still unclear how much money China spends on medical R&D specifically, the country is now makes up for 20 percent of the world's total R&D expenditures, the second largest only after the United States (27 percent), according to the 2016 Science and Engineering Indicators report released by the U.S. government.

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