U.S. and China Extend Landmark Bilateral Deal, Very Quietly
SINGAPORE—When a landmark science and technology agreement between the U.S. and China reached its expiration in late February without an extension, it plunged the academic community in both countries into uncertainty. Neither country confirmed an extension for nine days.
Had it lapsed? Not really, it turns out. But the extension was made so quietly as to be imperceptible, without an official statement published online. And for a second time in a row, it would only keep the agreement alive for another six months while Washington and Beijing continue negotiations.
The U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement was the first bilateral deal signed after Washington formally recognized the Communist-ruled People’s Republic of China in 1979. At the time, China was a scientific laggard and the U.S. saw the pact as a way to influence China’s behavior and developmental trajectory.
Nowadays, each country is simultaneously the other’s biggest research partner and its biggest rival, as the world’s two largest economies compete for global leadership in areas such as quantum computing, biotechnology and nanoscience. Over the decades, the agreement was renewed as a matter of course, for five-yearlong extensions, even as more U.S. institutions grew increasingly wary of collaborating with Chinese counterparts.
Then in August of last year, with bilateral tensions at a boil, the two sides could only manage a six-month extension—just enough to keep the landmark deal from collapsing. As the next deadline approached in February this year, the tone of bilateral ties was better—though not enough for a full renewal. The stealthiness of the latest move, and the prolonged nature of the deeper discussions, highlight the complex state of U.S.-China
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