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US-China relations
ChinaScience

Seminal US-China science pact renewed for 5 years with ‘guardrails’ for researchers, data

Substantial revisions include enhanced inter-agency review, but backlash from some Republicans was swift

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The US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was initially signed in 1979 as the two countries commenced formal diplomatic ties. Photo: Shutterstock
Bochen Hanin WashingtonandKhushboo Razdanin Washington
US President Joe Biden’s administration agreed with Beijing to renew a 45-year-old science and technology agreement for five years, bringing in substantial revisions that apparently failed to placate Republicans opposing the nod to cooperation amid tense bilateral ties.
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Typically renewed every five years, the US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) was last fully renewed under the first Donald Trump administration. It received a six-month extension instead of a full renewal in August 2023 and was extended again in February 2024 for another six months.

Representatives of the Chinese and American governments signed the new deal in an “exchange of notes” in Beijing on December 13, the mainland’s Ministry of Science and Technology said in a statement on Friday.

The agreement contains “guardrails” like “strengthened provisions on researcher safety, dispute resolution and data reciprocity”, according to the US State Department. It also includes enhanced inter-agency review within the US government of current and future cooperation initiatives, a spokesperson for the department said.

For decades, the STA fostered scientific collaboration by providing a legal and political framework for American and Chinese researchers to secure funding and pursue joint projects.

According to the Congressional Research Service, sub-agreements under the STA have encompassed such research areas as agriculture, energy, the environment, health, nuclear fusion and safety as well as earth, atmospheric and marine sciences and remote sensing.
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