Geopolitics and Academic Agency: The Changing Strategies of Chinese STEM Research Collaboration

In recent years, escalating geopolitical tensions and the rise of neo-nationalism have posed significant obstacles to international research collaboration between China and the West (Marginson, 2022a; Rizvi, 2022). As China’s advancements in science and technology are increasingly perceived as a strategic threat, newly coined and redefined concepts—such as knowledge security, trusted research, containment, and foreign interference in research and innovation—have become prevalent in Western policy discourse (European Commission, 2019; White House, 2025; Shih et al., 2025). The challenges are particularly pronounced in STEM disciplines, where barriers to cooperation are significantly higher than in the humanities and social sciences. Shifting geopolitical dynamics, coupled with the emergence of state-driven research policies such as “organized science,” have inevitably prompted Chinese STEM scientists to modify their collaboration partners, research focus, modes of cooperation, and strategic approaches. This study investigates how Chinese STEM scientists navigate geopolitical challenges in their international scientific collaborations. Specifically, it addresses the following research questions: How do geopolitical influences affect Chinese scientists’ international research collaborations?  What strategies have Chinese universities and scientists adopted to mitigate geopolitical constraints? What resources, cultural factors, and organizational conditions are necessary to facilitate these strategies?