US losing ground to China with ‘onslaught’ on cutting-edge research: Nobel laureate

The United States could be at risk of falling behind China in the technology race unless it halts the “wholesale onslaught” on scientific research programmes taking place under US President Donald Trump, according to the Nobel Prize-winning economist Joel Mokyr.

The American-Israeli scholar, who shared the 2025 prize for economics, said “all areas that are at the cutting edge of science” in the US were “suffering” under the current administration, which appeared to be “against any kind of innovation”.

“I think they’re trying to clean house as far as the research and academic institutions are concerned,” Mokyr said during an event at the University of Hong Kong on Wednesday. “But it’s way too radical, way too dramatic.”

Mokyr said it was “hard to say” how long Washington would persist with its “mindless attitude” towards science, but suggested that people should look to “other populist regimes” such as Turkey, Hungary and Russia to understand the “deeper reasons” behind recent events.

So far, China has avoided “falling into this trap”, Mokyr noted, which could give Beijing an advantage as it seeks to leapfrog the US in a series of strategic emerging industries.