Look, dudes...
Advances have been made by almost every nation in almost every field, at one time or another. Many of these advances were as a result of necessity, and all of them were affected by economics in one way or another (the development or the manufacture/implimentation). And there are peaks...pinnacles of excellence. Nobody can guarantee to be the best all the time.
There were many 'firsts' in SA for example. The research of Chris Barnard resulted in the first heart transplant. At the time, SA was arguably ahead of the world in that field (but behind the world in many other fields). And despite Chris Barnard's work and achievements, SA may not necessarily be top of the stack for heart transplants at the moment.
I think we have to accept that changes in politics and economics (look at all the developments that were made out of necessity as a result of sanctions against SA in the Apartheid era) will affect where the emphasis is and the amount of R&D that goes into an endeavour. SA had to make its own weapons and came up with several brilliant designs all because they couldn't buy weapons from the US or from Europe. But now the situation is different. SA is back in the 'fold' now and so that need is no longer present.
Civilization is constantly changing to meet its needs and nobody can guarantee that they will be top of the stack in any field, for ever. We can't begrudge a particular nation a milestone achievement just because there has been friction or rivalry between us and that nation.
