China and Europe networks in health: An empirical analysis on co-publications

In recent years, the impressive growth of China after the opening to market economy is facing long-term sustainability risks. In particular, the necessity to couple economic growth with an increase in the population's well-being has started to be raised. As health is a pivotal sector in terms of impact on life quality of the population, to deepen the knowledge of the factors and the dynamics regulating enhancements in this field becomes particularly relevant. Progress in health directly derives from progresses made in scientific research. This paper analyses the evolution of international cooperation of Chinese institutions in health-related scientific fields, measured in terms of co-publications. Changes in China's position in the international scientific literature are traced, focusing then on the current structure of co-authorships with the first five EU countries in terms of GDP and highlighting differences in the weight, the structure and the degree of complexity of the relation networks.