International research collaboration among global scientific powerhouses has exhibited a discernible trend towards convergence in recent decades. Notably, the US and China have significantly fortified their collaboration across diverse scientific disciplines, solidifying their status as a national-level duopoly in global scientific knowledge production. However, recent reports hint at a potential decline in collaboration between these two giants, even amidst the backdrop of advancing global convergence. Understanding the intricate interplay between cooperation and disparity within the US-China relationship is vital for both academia and policy leaders, as it provides invaluable insights into the potential future trajectory of global science collaboration. Despite its significance, there remains a noticeable dearth of quantitative evidence that adequately encapsulates the dynamism across disciplines and over time. To bridge this knowledge gap, this study delves into the evolving landscape of interaction between the US and China over recent decades. This investigation employs two approaches, one based on paper identifiers and the other on researcher identifiers, both obtained from bibliometric data sourced from OpenAlex. From both approaches, our findings unveil the unique and dynamic nature of the US-China relationship, characterised by a collaboration pattern initially marked by rapid convergence, followed by a recent phase of divergence.

翻译：近年来，全球科研强国间的国际合作呈现出明显的趋同趋势。值得注意的是，美国与中国在多个科学领域显著加强了合作，巩固了二者在全球科学知识生产中国家级双寡头的地位。然而，近期有报告暗示，在全球合作持续推进的背景下，这两个大国之间的合作可能正在减弱。理解中美关系中合作与分歧之间的复杂互动，对于学术界和政策制定者而言至关重要，因为它为全球科学合作的未来走向提供了宝贵的洞见。尽管其重要性不言而喻，但目前仍缺乏能够充分体现这种跨学科、跨时间动态变化的定量证据。为弥补这一知识空白，本研究深入探讨了中美两国在过去数十年间互动态势的演变。本研究采用了两种方法，一种基于论文标识符，另一种基于研究者标识符，两者均源自OpenAlex的文献计量数据。从两种方法得出的结果中，我们发现中美关系展现出独特且动态的特征，其合作模式最初表现为快速趋同，随后则进入了一个分化的阶段。