US-China Science Pact - what it is, and why it’s important
By Anya Gruteser
The U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement (STA) was signed on January 31, 1979 during a time where China lagged behind scientifically. It was an attempt to build relations between the two countries, as well as undermine the power of the Soviet Union. Eventually, the agreement became part of the U.S.’s effort to include China in the global system, as well as influence its development. During President Barack Obama’s term, ties with China were expanded to address issues such as health, energy, and climate. However, as China became a scientific rival, the STA has been heavily criticized for not protecting U.S. interests and reflecting these shifts. Still, the Biden Administration renewed the agreement in February for another six months. This extension was made silently without an official statement.
The STA deal is an umbrella agreement which governs any science and technology work involving the U.S. government and China. The U.S.-China STA is one of sixty that the U.S. holds with several different countries. All STAs aim to “strengthen international cooperation in scientific areas aligned with American interests, ensure open data practices, promote reciprocity, extend U.S. norms and principles, and protect American intellectual property.” With China, this agreement is slightly complicated by the fact that the two countries are rivals, especially in science and technology. For example, in the past couple years, they were embroiled in a chip war, with both countries, but specifically the U.S., trying to make it more difficult for the other to have the most advanced computer chips.
Before, the deal was extended for years at a time; now, it is all the government can do to keep the landmark agreement from collapsing. It highlights the current relationship between the two companies, especially in terms of science and technology. Even the two countries’ approaches to cooperation differ: China wants to keep scientific cooperation open, while the U.S. wants to restrict it to certain fields.
The U.S. wants to add several details to this agreement, like a “good intention” clause, where joint research can only be conducted for peaceful projects. Additionally, the country is demanding the safety of any American researchers. Meanwhile, Chinese academics and students were stopped and questioned, and even turned away, when entering the U.S. Additionally, the number of Chinese citizens studying in the U.S. during the 2022-2023 academic year declined, a pattern that has been taking place for three years. But the biggest issue is data, with America demanding increased clarity over access, ownership, and sharing of data. However, China has not obliged.
These tensions and suspicions from the U.S. are not new—in 2018, the Justice Department launched the China Initiative. It aimed to fight against theft of trade secrets, bribery, and illegal foreign lobbying. However, a major part of the initiative was attempting to find any economic espionage conducted by Beijing. Although it failed, it still impacted scientific collaboration, and caused several American academic institutions to lose experienced Chinese scientists. Around 1,400 scientists left, a 22% jump from the previous year. Though the initiative was shut down in 2022, the damage was done.
Despite the tensions between the two governments, even if the deal collapsed, researchers would still be able to work together, just without the blessing of their governments. However, to ensure scientific collaboration, China and the U.S. will need to work out how to cooperate and engage while also competing for technological and military supremacy.
