BIMSA >
BIMSA Digital Economy Lab Seminar
Chinese Firms Are Increasingly Leveraging Science for Innovation, and U.S.-China Geopolitical Tensions Have Accelerated the Process
Chinese Firms Are Increasingly Leveraging Science for Innovation, and U.S.-China Geopolitical Tensions Have Accelerated the Process
Speaker
Yanbo Wang
Time
Friday, December 19, 2025 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Venue
A3-2-303
Online
Zoom 435 529 7909
(BIMSA)
Abstract
Science plays important roles in driving technological innovation, as evidenced by the United States (U.S.) and other OECD countries. While China has become a leading producer of scientific knowledge, Chinese firms’ engagement with science remains underexplored, especially amid rising geopolitical tensions. Examining the period from 2010 to 2022, we find that Chinese firms are increasingly leveraging science for innovation (evidenced by growth in patents that cite scientific literature—hereafter referred to as science-reliant patents) and participating in science production (reflected in rising domestic and international publications). Moreover, U.S. sanctions restricting Chinese firms’ access to proprietary technologies have accelerated their engagement with science, as science is a global public good. Firms on the U.S. Entity List have accelerated their engagement in corporate science, broadened the temporal range of scientific knowledge sourcing, and deepened their utilization of both domestic and foreign sciences. Although China’s upward trajectory is striking, a considerable gap in absolute levels of science engagement between Chinese and U.S. firms remains. Our study highlights the evolving science-technology nexus for Chinese firms under geopolitical tensions, offering important policy insights for global innovation and competition.
Speaker Intro
Yanbo Wang is an Associate Professor of Strategy and Innovation at the University of Hong Kong. His research focuses on technology-based entrepreneurship, particularly examining how institutions influence strategic decisions, organizational structures, and financial performance of startup firms. He’s currently studying the design, implementation, and impact of innovation policy programs, with a particular focus on judgement formation and information aggregation in expert evaluation of early-stage startup firms. He also conducts research on academic entrepreneurship, venture capital, as well as the cross-border flow of scientific knowledge and talents between China and the West in an increasingly politicized world.
Dr. Wang has served as a senior editor of Organization Science and editorial board member of Administrative Science Quarterly, Research Policy, and Strategic Management Journal. He is also an executive board member of the Asia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association (AIEA) and has published in academic journals such as Management Science, Science, Strategic Management Journal, and Administrative Science Quarterly. Yanbo Wang received his Bachelor Degree from Peking University and his PhD from MIT.