Scientists Are Leaving the US and Heading Back to China

Patterns of international cooperation are changing. What we are sure is that Chinese scientists leaving the United States is bad news for Washington.

On August 27th, the 44-year-old "China-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement" is set to expire, and the effort to renew this agreement is facing an uphill battle in the U.S. Congress.

Deng Xiaoping and Jimmy Carter signed the agreement on cooperation in science and technology in 1979.

The "China-U.S. Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement" establishes an equal cooperative relationship that has brought benefits to both China, the United States, and the world. In fact, this agreement is not so much about the so-called sensitive technologies, but primarily encompasses foundational research, including areas such as environmental science, agricultural science, physics, and chemistry.

Cooperation in scientific research is the latest casualty of the deteriorating relation between the world’s top 2 powerhouses of science. The fate of this longstanding mutually beneficial agreement has worried many in the US. The Wall Street Journal has voiced its concern, suggesting that the US…