A group of Republican senators called on the Biden administration to cancel the US scientific and technological cooperation agreement with China. But just a week ago, the cooperation agreement between the two countries was renewed for another five years. This news was revealed in a report published by the American news agency AP on Friday (December 20).
In a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday, the group led by Senator Jim Risch claimed that the logical time for such cooperation has long passed. Rather, renewing the agreement will only create more opportunities for access to American research.
The letter stated that renewing the contract before the end of Biden’s term would deprive the incoming administration of the opportunity to comment on the controversial issue.
In addition to Risch, Senators John Barrasso, Pete Ricketts, Todd Young and Bill Hagerty signed the letter.
The agreement was first signed in January 1979. The two countries then established diplomatic relations to counter the influence of the Soviet Union. At that time, China was far behind other Western countries including the United States in terms of science and technology. This agreement was renewed in 2018. It was temporarily renewed last year and again this year to allow for new talks in the context of the ongoing technical dispute between the two countries.
At the same time, the State Department claimed that the scope of the new agreement was limited and that additional safeguards had been put in place to protect US interests. They said the agreement was limited to basic research. It did not allow for important and promising technological developments.
However, Republican senators are not convinced by the State Department’s statement. They fear that measures to protect intellectual property and prevent the illegal transfer of knowledge will not be enough.
The Associated Press attempted to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for comment on the letter. However, there was no immediate response from their side.
Deborah Seligson, an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, criticized the Republicans’ claim. He said that if scientific and technological cooperation with China stops, the United States will suffer the most. China and the United States have become rivals in science and technology. That’s why the United States can benefit more than ever from working with them. But demanding the cessation of cooperation without seizing the opportunity to obtain the greatest benefit.