University of California Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation

Precision medicine was included in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan (2016–2020) as a strategic emerging industry. Drawing primarily on bibliometric analysis of scientific publications on Web of Science and the Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases, I examine trends in publications, multi-country collaboration networks, sources of funding, and influential institutions in precision medicine. Through this mapping of the precision medicine field in China, this paper discusses the role of the Chinese state as well as the U.S.-China relationship in fostering research around precision medicine in China. The analysis identifies the diversity of state funding forces, the strength and centrality of U.S.-China scientific collaborations, and the widespread popularity of precision medicine in China. It ends with brief lessons that we can draw from the example of precision medicine in China for science and industrial policies.