Report: Rising R&D spending, yet intl collaboration lags

China's spending on research and development ranks fifth worldwide with growth outpacing some traditional tech powerhouses, according to a recent report by academic publishing company Elsevier.

Released in Beijing last week, the report shows that a steadily rising proportion of GDP has been spent on R&D in recent years.

The report found that the research focus remained much the same between 2002 and 2012, and clustered around engineering, physics and mathematics, areas in which China is at the forefront.