Republicans oppose the renewal of the US-China science and tech agreement.
A Call to End Cooperation with China in Science and Technology
A group of House Republicans is urging the Biden administration not to renew a long-standing agreement with China on cooperation in science and technology. This agreement, established in 1979 when the two countries first established diplomatic ties, is set to expire on Aug. 27. It has been renewed every five years to promote collaboration in various fields, including science and agriculture.
“The [People’s Republic of China] continues to practice military-civil fusion, seeking to leverage civilian and commercial research for military and defense purposes,” they wrote. “The evidence available suggests that the PRC will continue to look for opportunities to exploit partnerships organized under the [Science and Technology Agreement] to advance its military objectives to the greatest extent possible and, in some cases, to attempt to undermine American sovereignty. The United States must stop fueling its own destruction. Letting the STA expire is a good first step.”
The lawmakers, in a letter addressed to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, expressed concerns that the partnership could lead to the development of technology that may be used against the U.S. in the future.
The letter also highlighted the Department of Agriculture’s involvement in over a dozen active research projects with Chinese entities. The lawmakers warned that these projects have clear dual-use applications, such as developing techniques for analyzing satellite and drone imagery for irrigation management.
One example cited in the letter was a 2018 project between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and China’s Meteorological Administration. Under this agreement, balloons were launched to study the atmosphere. However, Beijing later used this technology to launch a surveillance balloon that crossed the continental U.S. before being shot down by the U.S. military over the Atlantic Ocean.
Concerned Lawmakers
Ten lawmakers, including Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, signed the letter. Notably, no Democrats signed on, and the ranking member’s office declined to comment.
It remains to be seen how the Biden administration will respond to this call to end cooperation with China in science and technology.
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