US government signs scientific agreement with China, Republicans oppose

Today (December 13), the current US government signed an extension of a scientific cooperation agreement with China, despite opposition from the Republican Party, who said the decision should have waited until the White House changed hands.

The current White House administration signed a scientific agreement with China.

The signing is part of the current US government 's efforts to stabilize US-China relations before President-elect Donald Trump takes office early next year, Reuters reported.

Since it was first signed in 1979, over the past 45 years, the US-China Science and Technology Agreement (STA) has provided bilateral cooperation in many areas of research, created an exchange mechanism, and allowed the US to access China's data on earthquake, weather, and influenza monitoring.

However, the deal stalled last year, when relations between the two countries hit a record low and after Washington accused Beijing of repeatedly failing to uphold some commitments, such as on intellectual property rights.

Even US analysts who support the STA extension say it is fundamentally necessary to re-evaluate the terms to protect US discoveries, now that China is a global scientific power.

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Signing the deal weeks before Trump takes office on January 20, 2025, the Biden administration said the new deal is narrower than previous extensions, and does not extend to emerging technology areas or play a key role in competition between the two countries.

In a letter sent today (Vietnam time), Congressman John Moolenaar, Chairman of the Special Committee on China in the US House of Representatives, asked Secretary of State Antony Blinken to "immediately cease efforts" to re-sign the agreement, and let the incoming US administration decide on the terms. However, the effort to prevent it was unsuccessful.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chinh-phu-my-ky-thoa-thuan-khoa-hoc-voi-trung-quoc-phe-cong-hoa-phan-doi-185241213202309426.htm