A man walks past signage for the Qian Xuesen Library at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in Shanghai on December 31, 2025. China's government has long led efforts to lure top scientists from abroad, but researchers say its institutions themselves are increasingly attracting talent thanks to their generous funding and growing prestige. (Photo by Jade GAO / AFP via Getty Images) / To go with AFP story China-research-science, FOCUS by Jing Xuan Teng