The US Congress is considering not renewing a key science and technology agreement with the world's second-largest economy in a bid to curb the country's technological and military advances.
Accordingly, the four-decade-old Science and Technology Treaty (STA) between the US and China may be suspended as Washington believes that Beijing could take advantage of the terms to modernize its military and threaten national interests.
The STA was signed when the US and China established diplomatic relations in 1979 and has been renewed every five years since. It also paves the way for the two countries to cooperate in areas ranging from atmospheric and agricultural sciences to fundamental physics and chemistry research.
The agreement is set to expire on August 27, raising concerns that US scientific and commercial achievements could be stolen, amid bilateral relations and trade between the two superpowers at their lowest point in years.
A US House of Representatives China committee has sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressing concerns about joint science and technology projects between the two countries, which use many “dual-use” technologies such as satellite image analysis methods or the use of drones to manage irrigation.
The letter cites an incident in February this year when Beijing was accused of “monitoring military sites on US territory” using balloons using identical technology in a project between the China Meteorological Administration and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under the STA framework.
Meanwhile, supporters of the agreement argue that without the STA, the US would lose an important channel of information about China’s technological advances. However, commentators generally believe that the agreement needs to be fundamentally revised to protect Washington’s interests in its strategic “rubbing” with Beijing.
The semiconductor "siege" is getting tighter and tighter
For its part, China is reeling under pressure from the US chip export restrictions imposed last October. Mainland analysts say the US is waging a technology “war” against the country. Failure to extend the STA would be seen as an escalation of the battle between the two sides.
The WSJ reported that the US is considering new restrictions on exports of artificial intelligence (AI) chips to China, causing shares of companies like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices to fall almost immediately.
Accordingly, the Commerce Department will stop issuing export licenses for chips made by Nvidia and other chipmakers for consumers in China as early as next July.
The Biden administration has made no secret of its desire to control exports of certain advanced chips that it says have military applications and are used in systems that pose a threat to the United States and its allies.
Semiconductors, a key component of most electronic devices, have become a key battleground in the dispute between Washington and Beijing over access to critical technology. These chips are used in systems ranging from fighter jets to mobile phones to household appliances like refrigerators.
The US campaign to “disengage” China from the global semiconductor supply chain is on track. The latest information shows that the Netherlands may announce additional export controls on some ASML chip foundries on June 30. Previously, Japan also added 23 semiconductor items to its export restriction list.
((According to EurAsian Times, Reuters)
Source
Comment (0)