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




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

Published: 8:49pm, 13 Dec 2024
The US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was initially signed in 1979 as the two countries commenced formal diplomatic ties. Photo: Shutterstock
Beijing and Washington have agreed to renew a 45-year-old science and technology agreement for five years, containing substantial revisions and marking a long-awaited breakthrough nod to cooperation amid tense ties, the Chinese Science and Technology Ministry announced on Friday.
Typically renewed every five years, the US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) was last fully renewed under the first Donald Trumpadministration. 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.

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.

But in recent years, the US has increasingly raised concern over research and personnel security, while calling for greater data reciprocity and a narrowing of permissible research areas.

Beijing, meanwhile, has also conveyed concerns about the safe and equal treatment of Chinese scientists in the US.

The agreement’s supporters say the deal shields American researchers working in China and fosters research in the US by granting access to crucial Chinese databases, especially in areas like health.



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