Thomas J. Sargent has lauded the exceptional creativity of China's young scholars, saying their talent is a key reason the country already stands as an innovation powerhouse.
In an interview with China Media Group (CMG) released on Friday, the 2011 Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences shared a personal example from his research collaborations with Chinese scholars, highlighting the ingenuity and talent driving the country's innovation.
When asked whether China is on track to become an innovation powerhouse, Sargent replied without hesitation.
"It already is. I've seen it. Yes, I do. And part of the innovation is how creative it is. It's not just the chips, it's not chips. It's the cleverness of the algorithms and the use of mathematics and the use of engineering. It's human intelligence that is making these things. You look at the numbers. An example would be I'm writing a paper. I've been writing a paper with two guys who happen to be Chinese. They are so smart, they run circles around me technically -- one's half my age and another is a third of my age -- and their energy and intelligence. And I see how far ahead they are from where I was in it at their age and where I am now. It's just amazing. Maybe it's a coincidence that they happened to be Chinese, but I just see lots of resources here," he said.
Sargent's comments come as China's innovation metrics continue to impress.
The country's research and development spending reached 2.8 percent of GDP in 2025. According to the 2025 Global Innovation Index released by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), China ranked 10th among 139 economies, with strong performance in areas such as high-end manufacturing.
Nobel Laureate praises exceptional talent of young Chinese researchers
