New international players are rapidly entering markets and are setting some high goals for themselves. In recent days, China reported in the media an effort to double its science and technology investments in industry and its military, with added emphasis on basic research. Already, China had reported R&D spending at almost $85 billion in 2003 a six-fold increase since 1991, and placing them third among the world's largest R&D nations.
China is keeping pace with the United States in the growth of its high technology production relative to its total manufacturing output. From 1990 to 2003, S&E Indicators reveals that China tripled the percentage of its high-tech manufacturing component from 6 percent to 18 percent of its total output, while the United States raised its high-tech output from 12 percent to 30 percent of its total during the same period. China also surpassed Japan during the period so that by 2003, China accounted for 12 percent of the world share in high-tech manufacturing. Europe and Japan lost market share during the period. U.S. patent applications from the Asia-8 nations (South Korea, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand) are growing rapidly. Traditionally active Japanese inventors continued to file at high rates in the early part of this century. However, by 2003, the Asia-8 and China combined accounted for one-fifth of all foreign patent applicants, Indicators 2006 reports. Meanwhile, these nations' scientific expertise has increased as well, with their share of published scientific articles rising from less than 4 percent of the world total in 1988 to 10 percent in 2003.