LINDA JAKOBSON is the Beijing-based Director of China Programme at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs. She has written five books on China and East Asia, based on the fourteen years she has lived in China and other parts of East Asia. All the authors have a long career of China expertise. Arthur Kroeber also works in Beijing and is a Co-Editor of the China Economic Quarterly. Kejun Jiang is a Director at the Energy Research Institute in Beijing. Dr Chunli Bai and Dr Chen Wang are two of China's leading nanoscientists. Dr Bai is Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dr Wang is Deputy Director of the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology. Dr Jun Yu is Associate-Director of the Beijing Genomics Institute.

The Chinese government has an ambitious plan to make China a world leader in science and technology by 2050. Moreover, in just 15 years from now, China's leaders wish to see the country transformed into an innovation-oriented society. Chinese companies are to become less reliant on foreign technology. Chinese scientists are to pursue 'indigenous innovation.' However, researchers in China face numerous hurdles, including bureaucratic control, corruption, and an education system based on rote learning. How realistic are the government's goals? Innovation with Chinese Characteristics addresses this question. Focusing on four specific areas – IT, nanotechnology, energy, and biotechnology – the authors also describe the areas of strength and weakness in high-tech research conducted by Chinese scientists. IT, nanotechnology, and biotechnology are fields in which Chinese researchers are expected to excel. Energy-related technology is important because of the vast amount of energy – mostly from coal – that China needs to fuel its economic growth. Innovative research that would bring down the costs of clean coal technology would have significant consequences for the environment, not only in China but worldwide.