China topped a global ranking for the most high-quality natural science theses based on citations for the first time, according to data published by the National Institute of Science and Technology Policy.
The institute is part of the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.
Japan was overtaken by India, falling from ninth last year to tenth in the latest ranking.
Last year, China overtook the United States for the total number of academic theses published. The latest result adds to the remarkable progress made by the country, which continues large-scale investment in research development.
Every year, the institute compiles data on the annual average number of theses published by countries and territories over three years. The institute's latest report, which was published on Tuesday, includes data from 2017 to 2019.
China topped the table of countries and territories ranked inside the top 10% for citations in other theses with 40,219 papers, followed by the United States with 37,124.
Tenth-placed Japan, with 3,787 theses, continues its climb down the table since it ranked fifth 10 years ago.
China held onto first place for the total number of academic theses published.
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