U.S. seeks short extension to key China science pact

The Biden administration is seeking a short-term extension to a landmark science and technology agreement with China despite pressure from some U.S. lawmakers.

HONG KONG — The Biden administration is seeking a short-term extension to a landmark science and technology agreement with China despite pressure from some U.S. lawmakers who say Beijing could exploit it to gain a security and military advantage.

A six-month extension will keep the Science and Technology Agreement in force as the U.S. seeks “authority to undertake negotiations to amend and strengthen the terms,” a State Department spokesperson said Wednesday.  

Signed in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, the STA was the first accord between the two countries after they normalized diplomatic relations. It has historically been renewed roughly every five years and was due to lapse this weekend.

U.S. conducts massive military exercise in Pacific as tensions with China heightenJuly 12, 202302:00A lapse in the pact would not only imperil government-to-government collaboration in vital areas such as climate change and public health; it would also inhibit academic cooperation between the world’s two leading economies, supporters have warned.

The STA serves as the umbrella agreement for the science and technology relationship between the U.S. and Chinese governments, said Deborah Seligsohn, an assistant political science professor at Villanova University. China also considers it the enabling document for all other science cooperation with the U.S., including with academic and research institutions.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/us-china-science-technology-cooperation-agreement-sta-rcna101131

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