It’s all academic
学术现实
American and Chinese scientists are decoupling, too
中美科学家也在脱钩
That will be bad for both countries
这会落得两败俱伤
THERE ARE lots of ways to measure China’s rise. It is the world’s second-biggest economy, its biggest manufacturer and its biggest creditor. In 2021 it passed another milestone. That year, for the first time, Chinese scientists published more papers than their counterparts in America or the European Union (see chart 1). It is not just the quantity that is improving. The Nature Index, run by the publishers of the journal of the same name, tracks contributions to the world’s best-regarded health and natural-sciences journals. Chinese researchers rank first in the natural sciences, and second overall.
中国的崛起可以从很多方面衡量。中国是世界第二大经济体、最大的制造国和最大的债权国。2021年，中国到达又一里程碑。这一年，中国科学家发表的论文数量首次超过美国或欧盟同行（见图表1）。提升的不仅是数量。《自然》杂志出版方编制的自然指数（Nature Index）追踪全球最有声望的健康和自然科学期刊的投稿情况，显示中国科研人员在自然科学论文发表上排名第一，总排名第二。
- counterpart 职位（或作用）相当的人；对应的事物
Cause for celebration, no doubt, in Beijing. In Washington, though, the news may have been less welcome. America increasingly dismayed by China’s rise—and especially its growing scientific and technological prowess. Under Donald Trump, the previous Republican president, and Joe Biden, the current Democratic one, it has imposed tariffs, rules and subsidies designed to hobble China’s high-tech firms while boosting its own. China has retaliated, moving against some big American tech companies. Twenty years ago, politicians endorsed globalisation and free trade. Now “decoupling”, national security and “friend-shoring” are the hot topics.
毫无疑问，这在中国是值得庆祝的，但在美国，这消息可能就不那么令人高兴了。中国的崛起越发令美国沮丧，尤其是中国的科技实力日增。在前任共和党总统特朗普和现任民主党总统拜登治下，美国实施了关税、限制规则和补贴措施，目的是打击中国的高科技企业，同时扶持本国企业。中国做出报复，针对一些美国大型科技企业采取行动。二十年前，政客们支持全球化和自由贸易。而现在，“脱钩”、国家安全和“友岸外包”成了热门话题。
- dismay 使诧异；使惊愕；使失望
- prowess 非凡的技能；高超的技艺；造诣
- 拓展学习：小词详解 | trump
- impose 指“强制实行、强加、推行”，多用于形容为了秩序、好处或效率等而由最高权力机构施加的法律、法规、征税、惩罚、限制等，强调必须服从、承受或忍受（参见：小词详解 | impose）
- hobble 捆绑（马等的）两腿（以防其走失）；阻止；妨碍
- retaliate 指“报复、反击、复仇”，主要指以刚好相似的方式对来自他人的伤害进行报复性反击（参见：小词详解 | retaliate）
- endorse 引申指“支持、认可、赞同”，现在多指通过明确的陈述公开表示支持或赞同某人、某个声明或某个行动方针（参见：小词详解 | endorse）
