Jeremy Lawson, senior vice-president of Clarivate, said all these fronts are essential to global social and economic development, and China is also at the forefront of many of these subjects.

Strategic collaboration with key global research organizations such as the CAE is central to advancing global scientific research and driving sustainable development, he added.

Yang Baofeng, an academician at the CAE, said the report tracks frontier engineering research that may yield new breakthroughs and innovations, and allow scientists, industries and policymakers to identify the latest engineering trends and adjust research and policy priorities accordingly.

Yang said this year's engineering frontiers had three main focuses: interdisciplinary research, the use of artificial intelligence in various engineering and industrial fields, and tackling major common issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.