[sergeantdave]

The Chinese had moveable type in 1045 A.D. They were making paper perhaps has early as 5 A.D., but certainly by 105 A.D. They invented Gunpowder in the eighth century. They were using magnetic compasses for marine navigation by the 11th century.

And what else?

American innovations and achievements can fill a room full of encyclopedias. The Chinese rockets couldn't get off the pad until Clinton gave them the know-how.

Chinese achievements wouldn't fill a small notebook. The reason why is because the people have been living under various dictatorships for a thousand years. A dictatorship does not create a setting for creativity. Need proof?

Look at the Chinese descendents working here in our country - creative, intelligent and innovative.

China will always be a second rate country until it throws off the dictatorship. A compass does not make a people special.

[The Pheonix]

Everything being equal, it is how much money and financial resources that a Nation commit to R%D that will yield great advances in Scientific and technological achievements, ie progress is directly proportional to the amount of money invested in R&D. This has been proven again and again, eg, Britain, Europe, US, the USSR and Japan. Surely there is no magic or some supernatural forces, or Racial-superiority theories here

The USSR was communists, yet they had proved that if they focussed their energy and resources into R%D, they could achieved great results, eg, the SPUTNIK, etc

In the 1980s, everybody thought that the Japanese Century was coming, but it is the US thsat beats the Japanese, in IT, Internet and sciences, why???. Because, besides spending lots of money, the US also practised true MERITOCRACY by attracting and utilizing the best brains and talents the world has to offer, to work in American R&D, whereas the Japanese would hire only Japanese