Taylor & Francis Biotech in China: Innovation, Politics, and Economics

In her quest for global leadership in science and technology, the People’s Republic of China has attained top ranks in the number of scientific publications, "hot papers," or national and international patent applications. However, analysis of the underlying structures and mechanisms is hindered by the sheer flood of data, stringent government control of all media, and ambiguities inherent in translation from Chinese. This book overcomes these difficulties and provides a concise picture of biotechnology-related research and development in China. It begins with brief accounts of China’s geography, people, political and administrational structure, economy, finance, infrastructure related to science and technology, and educational system. It presents succinct accounts on structures and developments in biomedicine, diagnostics, agriculture, fermented food, bioindustry, and environmental biotechnology, with reference to government, industry, and academia. Finally, it predicts the next steps in Chinese biotechnology for the national agenda and, in view of China’s ambitious global development strategy, the Belt and Road Initiative. About the Author Rolf Schmid is professor emeritus at the University of Stuttgart, Germany, honorary professor at Nanjing Tech University, China, and founder of Bio4Business, Germany. He studied biochemistry at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich and the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, Germany, and obtained his MBA from the University of Reutlingen, Germany. For 35 years, Prof. Dr. Schmid has led teams on biotechnology research and development in various German industries and at the University of Stuttgart and the Technical University of Braunschweig, Germany. He has 380 publications, 5 books, and about 80 patents or patent applications to his credit. Xin Xiong is a group leader for biofunctionalized surfaces at the Natural and Medical Sciences Institute (NMI) of the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany. He earned his PhD from the University of Stuttgart, after which he worked as a scientist at the Institute of Technical Biochemistry (Group Biocatalysis), University of Stuttgart; Institute for Experimental Internal Medicine, University Hospital Magdeburg, Germany; and the Biomaterials Group at the NMI. His research focuses on biomaterials for medical and biotechnological approaches, in particular, collagen-based biomaterials for regenerative medicine and enzyme immobilization.