Nowadays, the competition of comprehensive national strength in the world ultimately boils down to the competition for talent.
Although China has a large population of 1.4 billion, it lags behind the United States, which has only 330 million people, in the accumulation of high-end talent.
Experts point out that China selects talent from a population of 1.4 billion, while the United States selects talent from a global population of 7.7 billion.
This raises the question: how big is the talent gap between China and the United States?
As the country with the largest population in the world, China has a base of 1.4 billion people.
Every year, a large number of outstanding talents emerge.
China's college entrance examination system is hailed as one of the most fair and just talent selection mechanisms in the world.
Every year, millions of candidates enter top domestic universities based on their own abilities.
These students are undoubtedly the future pillars of various fields.
However, regrettably, many of these "high achievers" also choose to study abroad or even stay abroad for development.
The key reason lies in the strong advantage that the United States has in attracting talent.
With its perfect education system and generous investment in scientific research, the United States attracts top talents from around the world.
Among the top 100 universities in the world, the United States has 28.
This means that the United States can select talent from a global population of 7.7 billion, while China can only select from a population of 1.4 billion.
This "stock" gap means that the United States will undoubtedly be far ahead in talent aggregation.
More importantly, the United States has also taken effective measures to retain these top talents globally, such as providing generous salaries and ample research funding for researchers, and establishing fair and reasonable promotion mechanisms.
These measures greatly enhance the "talent magnetism" of the United States, making it difficult for many Chinese students to resist the temptation of the United States even after completing their undergraduate studies domestically.
At the same time, there are also differences in talent cultivation between China and the United States.
The United States pays more attention to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education, especially in subjects like physics and mathematics, while Chinese schools focus too much on English teaching, leading to relatively weak learning in key subjects like mathematics and science.
This inadvertently prompts more Chinese students to choose to study related majors in the United States.
Therefore, with its institutional and educational advantages, the United States occupies a commanding position in the global talent competition, while China gradually falls behind in this "battle."
The continuing expansion of the talent gap will undoubtedly pose severe challenges to China's technological innovation and industrial upgrading.
In a sense, the talent gap between China and the United States has become a key variable affecting the comprehensive national strength of both countries.
An important reason why the United States can maintain its long-term dominance in technological innovation is its vast international talent pool.
The president of Harvard University once said: 'Our mission is to gather the smartest people in the world together and let them solve the major challenges facing humanity.'
Guided by this philosophy, American universities and research institutions have attracted a large number of top international talents. They continuously make breakthroughs in basic science, applied technology, and lead the global wave of technological revolution.
In contrast, China currently still lags behind in both the quantity and quality of talent. Although China produces far more STEM graduates than the United States each year, there is still a considerable gap between China and the United States in basic research and original innovation.
In the list of winners of top global science and technology awards such as the Nobel Prize, Turing Award, and Fields Medal, Chinese people are still very rare.
It can be said that China has a long way to go to achieve breakthroughs in key core technologies and gain an advantage in talent competition with the United States.
In addition, overall, China's education in basic disciplines, especially mathematics, physics, and chemistry, is not as good as that in the United States.
Overemphasis on English test preparation and neglect of the cultivation of mathematical and logical thinking abilities have hindered the full development of students' innovative thinking and hands-on abilities, which also affects the originality and foresight of China's basic research to a certain extent.
Another issue that cannot be ignored is the prevalent atmosphere of academic seniority in China.
Some young people with real talent and skills are not given due recognition and opportunities due to lack of background and qualifications. Over time, they become disheartened and turn to foreign research institutions that focus more on strength and performance, forming a vicious circle.
China's talent accumulation is far behind that of the United States, mainly reflected in two aspects:
Firstly, China selects talent from a population of 1.4 billion, while the United States selects talent from a global population of 7.7 billion, resulting in a huge gap in "stock".
Secondly, many outstanding talents cultivated by Chinese universities choose to study abroad and eventually settle in the United States, serving the United States. It is difficult for China to retain these talents locally, leading to serious talent loss.
This phenomenon of talent outflow is not only related to the strong attraction of the United States but also to some problems in China, such as academic corruption, the atmosphere of seniority, etc., which to a certain extent squeeze the space for outstanding talents to pursue development and prompt them to choose to leave their homeland.
Faced with this situation, China must take effective measures to retain and attract talents, effectively narrowing the gap with the United States in talent pool.
Talent is the foundation of a country's development. Without talent, it is difficult to achieve technological innovation, let alone sustain the continuous improvement of comprehensive strength.
The huge gap in talent reserves between China and the United States directly affects the future competitive situation between the two countries.
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