一百年前，中国大城市爆发了一股学生抗议浪潮。五四运动带头人极度渴望扭转中国一个世纪的衰落，因而想要摒弃旧思想、引进西方活力。他们认为，引进“德先生”和“赛先生”，能带来一个新中国。
如今，五四运动的学生们帮助建立的新中国比以往任何时候都更加追求国家繁荣。2019年1月3日，中国成为第一个在月球背面着陆宇宙飞船的国家，展示了中国的雄心。
习近平带领中国复兴的决心毋庸置疑。现代科学依赖于金钱、制度和大量的智力。正如我们的调查所显示的，中国的科学成就排名正急速上升，部分原因是中国政府能够统筹三方面的工作。
主导、不循规蹈矩、高科技的中国正在出现，这样的前景让西方政客紧张起来，不禁害怕中国将会发展新武器。中国已经部署了人脸识别等人工智能技术来实时监测人口。其他国家可能会发现，一个涉足基因增强、自主人工智能或地球工程的中国极具威慑力。
这些担忧是合理的。这个科技超级大国的确令人生畏。但中国日益增长的科学影响力并不都指向一个方向。
首先，中国的科学不仅用于武器和威慑。从更优电池和新医疗手段，到诸如暗物质之类的基本发现，世界都能从中国的进步中获益良多。
当然，竞争是存在的；军事和商业研究必须保密。但是，纯科学的繁荣依赖于合作和交流。
西方某些人士可能会感觉收到了中国科学进步的威胁，所以要和中国研究人员保持一定的距离。这在武器科学和商业研究方面是明智之举，因为在这些方面复杂的保密机制已经存在且可以继续加强。但是，将保持距离的方法延伸到普通的研究将会弄巧成拙。合作是确保中国科学负责任和透明的最佳方式。
1.五四运动 the May Fourth Movement
2.“德先生”和“赛先生”democracy and science
3.统筹 plan as a whole; formulate the overall plans of
4.主导、不循规蹈矩、高科技 dominant, rule-breaking, high-tech-driven
5.人脸识别 face recognition
6.实时监测 real-time monitor
7.人工智能技术 artificial intelligence (AI) technology(www.xing528.com)
8.基因增强 gene amplification; genetic enhancement
9.地球工程 geo-engineering
10.暗物质 dark matter
11.明智之举 a wise move
12.弄巧成拙 to make matters worse; a misguided attempt
Red Moon Rising
If China dominates science, should the world worry?
A hundred years ago a wave of student protests broke over China’s great cities.Desperate to reverse a century of decline, the leaders of the May Fourth Movement wanted to jettison Confucianism and import the dynamism of the West.The creation of a modern China would come about, they argued, by recruiting “Mr.Science” and “Mr.Democracy”.
Today the country that the May Fourth students helped shape is more than ever consumed by the pursuit of national greatness.China’s landing of a spacecraft on the far side of the Moon on January 3rd, 2019, a first for any country, was a mark of its soaring ambition.
There is no doubting Mr.Xi’s determination.Modern science depends on money,institutions and oodles of brainpower.Partly because its government can marshal all three,China is hurtling up the rankings of scientific achievement, as our investigations show.
The looming prospect of a dominant, rule-breaking, high-tech China alarms Western politicians, and not just because of the new weaponry it will develop.China already deploys AI techniques like facial recognition to monitor its population in real time.The outside world might find a China dabbling in genetic enhancement, autonomous AIs or geoengineering extremely frightening.
These fears are justified.A scientific superpower wrapped up in a one-party dictatorship is indeed intimidating.But the effects of China’s growing scientific clout do not all point one way.
For a start, Chinese science is about much more than weapons and oppression.From better batteries and new treatments for disease to fundamental discoveries about, say, dark matter, the world has much to gain from China’s efforts.
There is competition, to be sure; military and commercial research must remain secret.But pure science thrives on collaboration and exchange.
Some in the West may feel threatened by China’s advances in science, and therefore aim to keep its researchers at arm’s length.That would be wise for weapons science and commercial research, where elaborate mechanisms to preserve secrecy already exist and could be strengthened.But to extend an arm’s-length approach to ordinary research would be self-defeating.Collaboration is the best way of ensuring that Chinese science is responsible and transparent.
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