China and the United States Modify and extend treaty on science and technology agreements

The United States of America and the People’s Republic of China have just signed a protocol to amend the two nations’ Science and Technology Agreement, extending the pact for the next five years.

The Science and Technology Agreement (STA) between China and the United States, provides consistent standards for the two countries’ bilateral government-to-government scientific cooperation.

A report from the U.S Department of State explains that the now modernized and strengthened Agreement sustains intellectual property protections and establishes new guardrails for implementing agencies to protect the safety and security of their researchers.

The pact also advances the United States’ interests through newly established and strengthened provisions on transparency and data reciprocity.

The amended Agreement ensures that any federal science and technology cooperation with the People’s Republic of China under the Science and Technology Agreement benefits the United States.

The modified pact with China in matters of technology reportedly minimizes risks to the United States’ national security. 

The amended Agreement covers only basic research; this science-oriented Treaty does not facilitate the development of critical and emerging technologies.

The modernized Science and Technology Agreement between Beijing and Washington is also being described to be clearly another way in which the United States is responsibly managing strategic competition with ​the Chinese government. 

Still, the modified and extended treaty results from extensive consultations across the United States Government and months of negotiation between America and the People’s Republic of China.