Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States in 1979, the first signed agreement focused on scientific and technological cooperation – the “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement”.
For 44 years, it has been guiding scientists from China and the United States to carry out exchanges and cooperation in the field of scientific research. It has witnessed the process of China’s basic science and technology from weak to strong.
The United States has also accepted a large number of scientific and technological talents from China. generally.
This article is from the WeChat public account: Deep Science (ID: deepscience), author: Zhou Chen, original title: “Critical moment postponed for 6 months! How important is the 44-year “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement”? “, title picture from Visual China (U.S. Secretary of State Blinken)
On August 27, 2023, the Sino-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement will expire.
According to the usual practice, China and the United States will start the renewal work. But the U.S. raised objections at the juncture, suggesting that it might consider terminating this important 44-year-old agreement. As a result, Sino-US scientific research cooperation may be at a crossroads.
On August 24, that is, on Wednesday (August 23), local time in the United States, the spokesperson of the US State Department stated that it is seeking to extend the “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” for a short period of six months in order to facilitate negotiations.
An important agreement that writes history and changes the fate of countless people
At the end of January 1979, Deng Xiaoping accepted the invitation of the then US President Jimmy Carter and his wife to visit the United States.
During this visit to the United States, Deng Xiaoping, and Carter officially signed the “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” ( STA: US-China Science and Technology Agreement), achieving a breakthrough of “zero” bilateral official cooperation, which means that the cooperation between China and the United States in the field of scientific research will have substantial progress.
The “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” stipulates the purpose, principles, scope, content, organizational form, and mutual rights and obligations of scientific and technological cooperation and exchanges between the two governments.
The Master Agreement is valid for 5 years, with each renewal extending for 5 years.
In the following 44 years of Sino-US scientific research cooperation, this agreement has played an important role in Sino-US cooperation in various fields such as agriculture, energy, space, health, environment, geosciences, engineering, and educational exchanges.
As early as one year ago, at the National Science Conference held on March 8, 1978, Deng Xiaoping clearly raised the status of science and technology and the importance of learning the world’s advanced science and technology to unprecedented heights for the first time.
As the leading country in the field of science and technology at that time, the United States naturally became the object of China’s exchanges and learning.
At the end of 1978, China and the United States officially announced that they would establish diplomatic relations on January 1, 1979, and the biggest obstacle to Sino-US intergovernmental scientific and technological cooperation was resolved.
Significance of the Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement
The “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” stipulates the purpose, form, field, purpose, organization, and validity period of exchanges between China and the United States.
As a general-style agreement, this agreement established a tone of “equality, mutual benefit, and reciprocity” for the subsequent Sino-U.S. scientific and technological cooperation.
In the “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement”, the two sides mentioned that “cooperation can be carried out in agriculture, energy, space, health, environment, geosciences.
Engineering and other science and technology and technology management agreed by both parties, as well as education and academic exchanges.”
It includes the following six main aspects:
- Exchange scientists, scholars, experts, and overseas students;
- Exchange of scientific, academic, and technical information and documents;
- Jointly formulate and implement plans and projects;
- Joint research, development, and experimentation, as well as the exchange of research results and experiences between cooperative units;
- Organize joint training courses, conferences, and seminars;
- Other forms of scientific and technological cooperation are agreed upon by both parties.
Both China and the United States have become beneficiaries of bilateral cooperation
In the following 44 years, the “Sino-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” has been playing an important role. It provides a framework for exchanges in the field of science and technology between China and the United States.
Reduces the uncertainty in the process of cooperation, and enables scientific research projects to be carried out faster and with higher quality.
Not only that, the agreement has established a cooperation platform for China and the United States in the field of scientific research, encouraging cross-border cooperation between scientists, scholars, and research institutions, and promoting the sharing of knowledge and technology.
In 2018, the “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” was renewed
However, in June this year, the relevant US department “strongly recommended” not to renew the agreement, which has also led to the fact that the agreement has not been renewed so far.
For those who oppose the renewal of the Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement, there are also various reasons.
However, while voices of “abolishment” came, many scholars and policymakers believed that it would be “stupid” to abolish the “Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement” because both sides could benefit from scientific and technological cooperation.
References
- Duan Ruichun. Cooperation and Confrontation——A Review of the Intellectual Property Negotiations of the Sino-US Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement [J]. Science and Technology and Law, 2003(02):15-22.
2. Trends in US-China Science and Technology Cooperation: Collaborative Knowledge Production for the Twenty-First Century?
This article is from the WeChat public account: Deep Science (ID: deep science).