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The US is seeking a short-term extension to a landmark science and technology agreement with China despite pressure from some US lawmakers who say Beijing could exploit it to gain a security and military advantage.
The US State Department said on Wednesday that it is seeking a six-month extension of the Science and Technology Agreement (STA), which is due to expire on August 27.
“This short-term six-month extension will keep the agreement in force while we seek authority to undertake negotiations to amend and strengthen the terms of the STA. It does not commit the US to a longer-term extension,” a US State Department spokesperson said.
The department said the deal provides consistent standards for government scientific cooperation, and if it lapsed each agency would have to negotiate individual arrangements with Beijing.
“We are clear-eyed to the challenges posed by [China’s] national strategies on science and technology, Beijing’s actions in this space, and the threat they pose to US national security and intellectual property, and are dedicated to protecting the interests of the American people,” the spokesperson said.
Signed in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter and Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, the STA was the first accord between the two countries after they normalized diplomatic relations. The current agreement was renewed in 2018.