In article ,
Martin Hotze wrote:

do you really believe that the Chinese need us from the west? they have
more than a billion people. And they 'produce' scientists on a basis we
only can dream of.

That may or may not be an advantage. Culture counts for alot.
The United States, for all its population to draw from, still cannot
field a World Cup winning soccer team. Why? Because the sport is not
sufficiently developed in our culture above the elementary school level.
The same applies to academics. Unless there exists a culture where free
speech and thought are encouraged, ideas will not flow. China has a way
to go before we see this happen.