US House Foreign Affairs Committee passes bill to scrutinise US-China science pact, relations to worsen

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously approved a bill on Thursday, aimed at increasing congressional oversight over future State Department engagements regarding science and technology agreements with China.

Introduced by Representative Andy Barr, a Republican from Kentucky, the bill mandates the Secretary of State to furnish Congress with detailed information regarding such agreements, including their benefits and risks, prior to their pursuit.

If enacted, the administration would need to wait at least 30 days post-submission before proceeding with these agreements, allowing Congress to evaluate national security risks and human rights considerations.

The committee’s approval of the bill, with a 50-0 vote, sets the stage for further legislative action. However, a specific date for a vote on the House floor has yet to be determined, nor has one been set for the Senate.

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The bill poses a potential obstacle to the periodic renewal of the Science and Technology Agreement (STA) between the US and China, initially signed in 1979 by US President Jimmy Carter and Chinese Premier Deng Xiaoping as the first bilateral deal between the two nations. The STA, which is typically renewed every five years, received a series of six-month extensions, including one last August and another in February.

Under the current agreement, both American and Chinese researchers have benefitted from financial, legal, and political support for decades, fostering scientific collaboration. Proponents argue that the STA protects American scientists in China and facilitates research in the US by providing access to critical Chinese databases, particularly in fields like health studies.

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However, critics argue that China’s oversight and control over science and technology projects within its borders have allowed it to exploit the STA, addressing scientific gaps and leveraging the decentralized American academic landscape to establish dominance in sectors such as electric vehicles and renewable energy.

Supporters of the bill highlight the need to assess risks and evaluate the STA’s impact on American innovation. Representative Mike Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, emphasized China’s misuse of American scientific openness to steal research and advance its own agendas, including military expansion.

The bipartisan bill also targets the Chinese Communist Party’s leadership, proposing sanctions against all 205 members of its Central Committee and their adult family members. Representative Lisa McClain, a Republican from Michigan, sponsored the bill, which passed 28-22. The bill provides the president with the authority to waive sanctions if Beijing demonstrates improvements in various areas, including its treatment of Uygur Muslims and its actions towards Taiwan and Hong Kong.

While supporters view the legislation as a necessary step to encourage responsible behaviour from the Chinese Communist Party, critics like Representative Gregory Meeks of New York, the committee’s senior Democrat, argue that such broad sanctions risk damaging US-China relations and could impede American officials and businesses from engaging with Chinese counterparts to advance US interests.