International collaboration and research quality: Evidence from the Us-China collaboration in nanotechnology

China´s status as a scientific power, particularly in the emerging area of nanotechnology, has become widely accepted in the global scientific community. The role of international collaboration in China´s nanotechnology development is generally assumed albeit without much evidence. Based on a longitudinal publication data of 77 Chinese nanoscientists, this study empirically examines the impact of US-China collaboration on the research performance of Chinese researchers. The study found that US-China collaboration has a positive effect on China´s nano research quality. And such impact demonstrates a time-decaying pattern at the level of individual paper, but not at the level of journal.