Introduction: Hong Nong, Executive Director, ICAS

Moderator: Sourabh Gupta, Senior Fellow & Head of ICAS Trade n’ Technology Program

Panelists: 

- Caroline Wagner, Professor, John Glenn College of Public Affairs, The Ohio State University

- Denis Simon, Distinguished Fellow, ICAS

In late-February 2024, the U.S.-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement will expire if it is not signed or extended. The first major agreement to be signed by the two governments following the normalization of ties in 1979, the STA was last renewed in 2018 (and temporarily extended in August 2023). In the time since its last renewal, S&T ties have been battered by a raft of decoupling measures as well as probes by the Justice Department and the National Institutes of Health into Beijing’s economic espionage and intellectual property diversion activities. On the other hand, the U.S. and China remain each other’s top scientific partners, with collaborative research between American and Chinese nationals being a standout feature among the most-cited academic papers.

As the late-February deadline approaches, can the two sides buck the trend on technology decoupling and renew or at least temporarily extend their STA? How important is it to renew the agreement? What have been its main achievements and what are the chief criticisms levied against the agreement? Where do the negotiations on renewal stand, and what are the key improvements sought? Realistically, what are the chances of a technology cooperation agreement being signed during a charged election year? Broadening the frame, what is the state of U.S.-China S&T exchanges, and how has China’s domestic S&T ecosystem evolved over the past four decades? Will the new (Party) Central Science and Technology Commission and its emphasis on self-reliance scramble the prospects for bilateral cooperation? How should the STA be improved to reflect the new maturity, and tensions, in cross-border scientific ties? To listen to these and other answers and insights on pressing U.S.-China S&T policy questions, tune in to the event on February 20.