Global Research Report: China informs policy makers about the research and collaboration potential of China and its current place in world science, a Nov. 2 statement said.

Key figures from the report found that China has more than doubled its research output since 2004 and published nearly 112,000 research papers in 2008, compared to just over 20,000 in 1998. The country is now only second to the US in terms of research output.

The research, Thomson said, is mainly concentrated in the physical sciences and technology -- mostly materials science, chemistry and physics. Looking to the future, rapid growth can be seen in agricultural sciences and life science fields such as immunology, microbiology and genetics.

“If China's research growth remains this rapid and substantial, European and North American institutions will want to be a part of it,” said Jonathan Adams, director of research and evaluation at Thomson Reuters. “China no longer depends on links to traditional G8 partners to help its knowledge and development. When Europe and the USA visit China they can only do so as equal partners,” he added.