U.S. and China renew bilateral S&T Agreement | Explained Premium

China and the U.S. extend science and technology cooperation agreement, addressing concerns over intellectual property and technology transfer.

On December 13, China and the U.S. agreed to extend the Agreement between China and USA on Co-operation in Science and Technology for an additional five years, effective from August 27, 2024. They also signed a protocol to amend it. With that the uncertainty over the Agreement’s continuation came to an end. Observers have welcomed the development as an affirmation of science and technology cooperation between the two major powers. The incoming Donald Trump administration is also likely to endorse its continuation.

The Agreement was first signed on January 31, 1979, by Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and U.S. president Jimmy Carter at a time when both countries had established diplomatic relations and agreed to cooperate on agricultural research and technology. Since then the Agreement has been renewed every five years as well as expanding in scope. It was due to be renewed in 2023 but was extended for six months in August 2023 and again in February 2024, paving the way for a fresh renewal.

The Agreement is governed by the US-PRC Joint Commission on Scientific and Technological Cooperation; the U.S. and China each appoint co-chairs and an agency from each country is nominated as the ‘executive agent’. There are also additional protocols between agencies and 40 sub-agreements in different areas, from agriculture to nuclear fusion.

Bilateral science and technology agreements have been key to promote cooperation in these fields. Often there are specific agreements or cooperation pacts as part of a larger engagement framework. While these agreements don’t mention specific investments in science and technology, they often pave the way for forms of cooperation that aren’t confined to state institutions. They also facilitate joint research, mobility between the countries for students and scientists, and encourage institutional cooperation, and set up bilateral research centers. India has such bilateral agreements with 83 countries.

This said, while countries routinely sign such agreements as part of routine engagements, both countries need to have the capacity and the intention to pursue the cooperation earnestly for the instruments to succeed. Token initiatives have never cut it. In this regard, the Agreement between China and the U.S. is probably the most successful of its kind.

Ironically, however, its very success also called its future into question.

Conflicts between the U.S. and China, particularly over the export of certain technologies to China and concerns about China overtaking the U.S. in science and technology indicators, have become sticking points of late. To address them, the newly amended Agreement has measures to enhance provisions for researcher safety and data reciprocity.