The author does not exactly say what these incentives are, he just offers evidence to show this. Boring academic article, I just skimmed it.

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ees.2016.0223

One of the things he mentions is how tenured postions are rewarded. We all know that women are given preference for these positions. Another factor he talks about is how research money is awarded based on desired results. Again he does not mention what these desired results are but it is a given.

He then states that it appears as if China is spending its research money better.