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US Congressional Committee for Foreign Affairs approves legislation to examine US-China scientific agreement, potentially escalating tensions
Despite the existing technological conflict between the US and China, some areas of cooperation still existed, largely due to scientific and technological pacts between them. But with the current high-strung situation, the path ahead may not be as seamless.
On Thursday, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee gave unanimous consent to a bill. This proposed legislation is designed to enhance the level of monitoring Congress has over the State Department's future interactions concerning science and tech deals with China.
The legislation, put forward by Andy Barr, a Kentucky Republican Representative, requires the Secretary of State to provide Congress with comprehensive data about such deals, encompassing their advantages and disadvantages, before they are pursued.
Should this be implemented, the government will have to pause for a minimum of 30 days after submission before advancing with these contracts. This gives Congress the opportunity to assess dangers to national security and consider human rights issues.
The unanimous endorsement by the committee, via a 50-0 vote, paves the way for more legislative proceedings. Yet, there is no fixed date for the voting in the House of Representatives and the Senate.
The proposed legislation could potentially hinder the regular renewal of the Science and Technology Agreement (STA) between the US and China. The initial agreement, concluded in 1979 by then US President Jimmy Carter and Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping, was the first of its kind between the two countries. The STA, which is usually renewed every half-decade, was granted a sequence of six-month renewals, with the most recent ones being in August and February.
The existing pact has allowed both US and Chinese researchers to enjoy financial, legal, and political backing for many years, promoting scientific teamwork. Advocates claim that the STA defends American scientists working in China and aids research in the US by offering access to crucial Chinese databases, especially in areas like health research.
Nonetheless, sceptics assert that China's supervision and regulation of its internal science and technology initiatives have enabled it to take advantage of the STA. By identifying and filling scientific voids, and utilizing the scattered nature of American academia, they have managed to gain superiority in areas like electric cars and sustainable energy.
Advocates of the legislation underscore the necessity to examine risks and measure the effect of the STA on American creativity. Mike Gallagher, a Republican representative from Wisconsin who leads the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, underscored China's exploitation of American scientific transparency to pilfer research and further its own aims, such as military growth.
The cross-party legislation also sets its sights on the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, suggesting penalties for all 205 members of its Central Committee and their grown-up family members. Lisa McClain, a Michigan Republican Representative, advocated for the bill, which was approved with a 28-22 vote. The bill empowers the president to forego these penalties if Beijing shows progress in several areas, such as their handling of Uygur Muslims and their behavior towards Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Advocates see the law as essential in promoting accountability within the Chinese Communist Party. However, detractors, including Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the committee's leading Democrat, contend that such extensive sanctions could harm US-China relations and possibly hinder American officials and businesses from interacting with their Chinese peers to further US objectives.
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