[skybrian]

Yes, sometimes research is funded due to political motivations. The researchers could discover and publish interesting historical facts anyway. Hopefully they will still be able to do good work? It’s good that someone funds it, even if their motives aren’t pure.

It’s unlikely that this is really going to move the needle as far as rivalry between China and other countries goes; it’s more of a side effect of that rivalry, like national museums, the Olympics, and moon landings.