China–US scientific collaboration on sustainable development amidst geopolitical tensions

Abstract

Abstract This study aims to investigate whether growing geopolitical competition has affected international collaboration in sustainable development research, with a particular focus on structural changes in bilateral research collaboration between China and the United States. Three datasets have been created and compared using bibliographic information provided by the Web of Science core collection: before the Trump administration, during the Trump administration, and during the Biden administration. The results indicate that countries worldwide have conducted extensive research in sustainable development, and the United States, China, and the United Kingdom have produced the most publications, demonstrating a high level of scientific research productivity. Concerning the collaborative patterns of sustainable development research, China and the United States are each other’s largest collaborative partners. The intensity of scientific research collaboration between the two countries has not declined due to geopolitical tensions. Conversely, the intensity of scientific research between the two countries is still increasing. The keyword thematic explorations reveal that research on China–US collaboration has focused differently across the three time periods and that despite differences in research bias, efforts to contribute to advancing the achievement of the SDGs have been consistent. It is possible that geopolitical considerations have heightened the urgency of policy research and led to its incorporation into research centers.