SCMP / China Science
Xi-Biden summit: leaders agree to revisit historic science and technology pact
The agreement signed in 1979 has survived 44 years of diplomatic ups and downs but could lapse within months if not renegotiated
During their meeting the two presidents stress the importance of scientific cooperation to the countries’ common interests
Ling Xin
in Ohio
+ FOLLOW
Published: 7:00pm, 17 Nov, 2023
Why you can trust SCMP
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden have agreed that negotiations will start on renewing a decades-old science and technology agreement (STA).
The decision – one of several positive outcomes from Wednesday’s summit in California – was announced by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after the Xi-Biden talks at a secluded country estate just south of San Francisco.
The STA was the first major pact to be signed by the US and China when they established relations in 1979. It survived 44 years of diplomatic ups and downs between Beijing and Washington and was renewed every five years – until this year.
Right before it was due to expire in August, Washington extended the pact for six months so the two sides could “renegotiate the deal” and address concerns over issues such as research reciprocity and the military use of high technologies.
At the time, the US State Department said the terms of the STA needed to be “amended and strengthened”, without specifying what changes were under consideration.
During their meeting, both leaders stressed the importance of cooperation in science and technology.
Xi Jinping, Joe Biden hold talks on sidelines of Apec summit to ease strained US-China ties
Xi said that China and the US “share common interests in a wide range of areas, including traditional areas such as the economy and agriculture, and emerging areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence”.
“Today, our common interests have increased, not decreased,” he told Biden, adding that it was “important” to cooperate in areas like counter-narcotics, judicial and law enforcement, AI, and science and technology.
Biden said that the US was ready to strengthen cooperation with China in climate change, counter-narcotics and AI, and would be glad to see more educational, scientific and technological, as well as personal exchanges between the two countries.
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China replaced Britain as the United States’ top scientific partner in 2011, prompting political concerns in the US that American dominance in science and technology could be threatened by agreements like the STA.
But according to Caroline Wagner, a science policy expert from Ohio State University, in the late 1970s science was seen by US and Chinese diplomats as “a low-conflict activity, comparable to cultural exchange”.
Oldest US-China science deal up in the air as Washington seeks to ‘amend terms’
25 Aug 2023
Then Chinese premier Deng Xiaoping and US president Jimmy Carter in Washington in January 1979. Photo: VCG/Getty Images
“They figured starting with a non-threatening scientific agreement could pave the way for later discussions on more politically sensitive issues,” she wrote, in an article published by Australian-based independent media outlet The Conversation in August.
Early collaboration under the agreement – signed by then leaders Jimmy Carter and Deng Xiaoping on July 28, 1979 – was mostly symbolic, “but substantive collaborations grew over time”, Wagner said.
“As China’s economy expanded, so did its investment in domestic research and development. This all boosted China’s ability to collaborate in science – aiding their own economy.”
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The National Natural Science Foundation of China is offering up to US$3.8 million in research funding to the country’s most exceptional young scientists. Photo: Shutterstock
Wagner’s article was published shortly after the pact’s extension, when she noted that even if it resulted in a renegotiated agreement, the US had signalled a reluctance to cooperate with China.
“Since 2018, joint publications have dropped in number. Chinese researchers are less willing to come to the US. Meanwhile, Chinese researchers who are in the US are increasingly likely to return home, taking valuable knowledge with them,” she wrote.
“The US risks being cut off from top know-how as China forges ahead. Perhaps looking at science as a globally shared resource could help both parties craft a truly ‘win-win’ agreement.”
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China has beaten the US in a key ranking of international scientific papers. Photo: Xinhua
The Beijing readout of the summit said China had no plans to overtake or replace the US, nor should the US have any intention of suppressing or containing China.
China voiced its discontent with several US policies that had “seriously damaged” China’s legitimate interests, it said.
Export controls, investment reviews and unilateral sanctions by the US were suppressing China’s science and technology “to curb [its] high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development”.
CONVERSATIONS
Ling Xin
+ FOLLOW
Ling Xin
Ling Xin is a science journalist based in Ohio. She mainly covers physics, astronomy and space. Her writing has appeared in Science, Scientific American, MIT Technology Review and other English and Chinese outlets. She was a visiting journalist at Science magazine in Washington, and has a master's degree in journalism from Ohio University.
Science
SCMP / China Science
Xi-Biden summit: leaders agree to revisit historic science and technology pact
The agreement signed in 1979 has survived 44 years of diplomatic ups and downs but could lapse within months if not renegotiated
During their meeting the two presidents stress the importance of scientific cooperation to the countries’ common interests
Ling Xin
in Ohio
+ FOLLOW
Published: 7:00pm, 17 Nov, 2023
Why you can trust SCMP
Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden have agreed that negotiations will start on renewing a decades-old science and technology agreement (STA).
The decision – one of several positive outcomes from Wednesday’s summit in California – was announced by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi after the Xi-Biden talks at a secluded country estate just south of San Francisco.
The STA was the first major pact to be signed by the US and China when they established relations in 1979. It survived 44 years of diplomatic ups and downs between Beijing and Washington and was renewed every five years – until this year.
Right before it was due to expire in August, Washington extended the pact for six months so the two sides could “renegotiate the deal” and address concerns over issues such as research reciprocity and the military use of high technologies.
At the time, the US State Department said the terms of the STA needed to be “amended and strengthened”, without specifying what changes were under consideration.
During their meeting, both leaders stressed the importance of cooperation in science and technology.
Xi Jinping, Joe Biden hold talks on sidelines of Apec summit to ease strained US-China ties
Xi said that China and the US “share common interests in a wide range of areas, including traditional areas such as the economy and agriculture, and emerging areas such as climate change and artificial intelligence”.
“Today, our common interests have increased, not decreased,” he told Biden, adding that it was “important” to cooperate in areas like counter-narcotics, judicial and law enforcement, AI, and science and technology.
Biden said that the US was ready to strengthen cooperation with China in climate change, counter-narcotics and AI, and would be glad to see more educational, scientific and technological, as well as personal exchanges between the two countries.
EVERY TUESDAY
China Economic Update
Read key economic stories from China, including the US-China trade war, sanctions, and economic developments.
GET OUR NEWSLETTER
By registering, you agree to ourT&CandPrivacy Policy
China replaced Britain as the United States’ top scientific partner in 2011, prompting political concerns in the US that American dominance in science and technology could be threatened by agreements like the STA.
But according to Caroline Wagner, a science policy expert from Ohio State University, in the late 1970s science was seen by US and Chinese diplomats as “a low-conflict activity, comparable to cultural exchange”.
Oldest US-China science deal up in the air as Washington seeks to ‘amend terms’
25 Aug 2023
Then Chinese premier Deng Xiaoping and US president Jimmy Carter in Washington in January 1979. Photo: VCG/Getty Images
“They figured starting with a non-threatening scientific agreement could pave the way for later discussions on more politically sensitive issues,” she wrote, in an article published by Australian-based independent media outlet The Conversation in August.
Early collaboration under the agreement – signed by then leaders Jimmy Carter and Deng Xiaoping on July 28, 1979 – was mostly symbolic, “but substantive collaborations grew over time”, Wagner said.
“As China’s economy expanded, so did its investment in domestic research and development. This all boosted China’s ability to collaborate in science – aiding their own economy.”
As research grants in US hit 25-year low, China plans for exponential growth
9 Nov 2023
The National Natural Science Foundation of China is offering up to US$3.8 million in research funding to the country’s most exceptional young scientists. Photo: Shutterstock
Wagner’s article was published shortly after the pact’s extension, when she noted that even if it resulted in a renegotiated agreement, the US had signalled a reluctance to cooperate with China.
“Since 2018, joint publications have dropped in number. Chinese researchers are less willing to come to the US. Meanwhile, Chinese researchers who are in the US are increasingly likely to return home, taking valuable knowledge with them,” she wrote.
“The US risks being cut off from top know-how as China forges ahead. Perhaps looking at science as a globally shared resource could help both parties craft a truly ‘win-win’ agreement.”
China beats US for first time in global scientific ‘hot papers’ ranking
22 Sep 2023
China has beaten the US in a key ranking of international scientific papers. Photo: Xinhua
The Beijing readout of the summit said China had no plans to overtake or replace the US, nor should the US have any intention of suppressing or containing China.
China voiced its discontent with several US policies that had “seriously damaged” China’s legitimate interests, it said.
Export controls, investment reviews and unilateral sanctions by the US were suppressing China’s science and technology “to curb [its] high-quality development and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development”.
CONVERSATIONS
Ling Xin
+ FOLLOW
Ling Xin
Ling Xin is a science journalist based in Ohio. She mainly covers physics, astronomy and space. Her writing has appeared in Science, Scientific American, MIT Technology Review and other English and Chinese outlets. She was a visiting journalist at Science magazine in Washington, and has a master's degree in journalism from Ohio University.
Science
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