The Science and Technology Agreement between the United States and China is set to expire on Tuesday, prompting negotiations from the State Department to possibly extend and enhance the deal. While the agreement serves as a framework for scientific collaborations between the two countries, concerns have been raised about China’s restrictions on data, lack of transparency, and potential military application of shared research. Despite these challenges, advocates for renewing the agreement highlight the importance of maintaining official and unofficial contacts between the U.S. and China.
In a recent discussion hosted by the Institute for China-America Studies, experts emphasized the symbolic significance of the Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement in fostering mutual confidence and deepening engagement between researchers from both nations. However, some experts, like Dean Cheng from the U.S. Institute of Peace, argue that the American system is more open compared to China’s, potentially placing the strategic advantage in the hands of the People’s Republic of China. The agreement, originally signed in 1979, covers various fields such as agriculture, energy, space, health, and engineering, reflecting the broad scope of cooperation between the U.S. and China in science and technology.
As U.S.-China science and technology activities have expanded over the years, the renewal of the agreement every five years has been a recurring practice. The most recent extension took place in 2018, with negotiations last August leading to a six-month extension while officials worked on amending and strengthening the terms of the deal. The upcoming decision on whether to extend the agreement beyond its current expiration date will have significant implications for scientific collaboration and strategic interests between the United States and China.
