Hong Kong Officials from both nations said Friday that the United States and China have extended a decades-old pact on research and technology collaboration, limiting its scope and incorporating measures to satisfy national security concerns.
The first agreement between the two nations following the normalization of diplomatic relations was the Science and Technology Agreement, which was first signed in 1979. Historically, it was extended approximately every five years, but in recent years, as China has emerged as a formidable technical foe, U.S. politicians have voiced worries about it.
Before expiring on August 27 of this year, the deal, which was set to expire in 2023, was given two six-month extensions. Negotiations to extend it had been ongoing for months.
The enhanced and updated agreement has been extended for a further five years, the State Department announced on Friday. According to the statement, the agreement upholds intellectual property rights, creates new safeguards for researchers’ safety and security, and advances American interests by enacting and strengthening new measures on transparency and data reciprocity.
According to the department, the deal does not support the development of critical and emerging technologies and only covers basic research.
Citing worries that these technologies could support China’s military modernization, the Biden administration has limited investment in China’s other strategically sensitive industries, including artificial intelligence and quantum computing, and placed export bans on sophisticated semiconductor chips.
The Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology also acknowledged the agreement’s renewal in a brief statement on Friday, though it gave no specifics.
Proponents of the agreement contended that its renewal would hinder academic interaction between the two largest economies in the world as well as jeopardize government-to-government cooperation in critical areas like public health and climate change.
The Trump administration’s China Initiative, a national security initiative designed to combat intellectual property theft at research institutions and colleges, has already stifled collaboration in science and technology. Following a series of unsuccessful prosecutions, the program, which has caused several well-known Chinese researchers to depart the United States, stopped in 2022.
The initiative, which House lawmakers are trying to resurrect, was unfairly aimed at ethnic Chinese scientists, according to Asian American advocacy groups.
Note: Every piece of content is rigorously reviewed by our team of experienced writers and editors to ensure its accuracy. Our writers use credible sources and adhere to strict fact-checking protocols to verify all claims and data before publication. If an error is identified, we promptly correct it and strive for transparency in all updates, feel free to reach out to us via email. We appreciate your trust and support!