１９９９年，我国科技竞争力国际排位出现大幅下降。据瑞士洛桑国际管理开发研究院发表的 １９９９年度《国际竞争力报告》说，在４７个国家和地区中，中国科技竞争力从１９９８年度的世界第１３位降至第２５位。而在此前的１９９７和１９９８年度，我国科技竞争力的排名曾分别比前一年度上升了７位和８位。 In 1999, the international ranking of China's scientific and technological competitiveness dropped drastically. According to the 1999 International Competitiveness Report published by the Lausanne International Management Development Research Institute in Switzerland, among 47 countries and regions, the competitiveness of China's science and technology fell from 13th in the world in 1998 to 25th. Prior to 1997 and 1998, China's scientific and technological competitiveness rankings have increased by 7 and 8 respectively over the previous year.