Several recent articles argue that China is about to surpass the U.S. in innovation. While China is catching up to the U.S. in manufacturing production, these articles point to the number of new Chinese patent filings as evidence that China is also developing a world class ability to come up with new product ideas. In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Niall Ferguson argues that “contrary to the view that China is condemned to remain an assembly line for products ‘designed in California,’ the country is innovating more. . . . In 2007 China overtook Germany in terms of new patent applications.” And The Economist predicts that China will publish more patents next year than any other nation. Thus, writes Sean Silverthorne, “Asia is out-innovating the West, if you go by the number of patents issued.”