This study aimed to identify the current state of research and gaps of K-12 engineering design research between Chinese and international studies. This study employed CiteSpace and VOSviewer to conduct a bibliometric analysis of K-12 engineering design research, utilizing 86 publications from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and 170 from the Web of Science Core Collection spanning the period from 2010 to 2024. The analysis revealed three key findings: (a) Chinese and international publications on engineering design grew after 2016 and 2014, respectively, but declined sharply in 2020 and 2022 before rebounding; (b) The U.S. led international research, with strong funding support and collaborative networks centered around Purdue University, while Chinese scholars produced fewer publications, had limited funding, and minimal collaboration; (c) Chinese research focused on curriculum development and conceptualization within STEM, whereas international research emphasized empirical studies on engineering design's impact on student learning and teacher development. This study highlights the need for Chinese research to expand beyond curriculum development and conceptualization, emphasizing empirical investigations into teaching-related factors such as teacher quality and instructional resources, alongside enhanced policy support and collaborative research efforts.