"We saw labs today full to the rafters with scientists and machinery." That's the message US Department of Commerce undersecretary for technology Robert Cresanti sent back from his trip to China this week.

"There has also been a dramatic increase in the quality and quantity of papers on nanotechnology published by Chinese scientists," Cresanti observed.

"China is one of the players that is gaining on us," Cresanti continued. "We are wise to take a look at what they are doing that's been successful, and see how it might apply to improve our system."

Cresanti's comments were part of a subscription-only report by the Wall Street Journal picked up by Forbes.com. The report noted that China is making rapid advances in the field of nanotechnology and the US should monitor China's progress in order to maintain a competitive edge in the cutting-edge scientific research sector.

Signs that the US may be losing some of its competitive edge were also clear in this week's report from the World Economic Forum that the country has fallen from first to sixth in global competitiveness. The forum cited personal and federal debt and the declining quality of the country's public institutions as the primary factors in the slide. Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Singapore all topped the US in the survey. (photo scidev.net)