House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer and Subcommittee on Military and Foreign Affairs Chairman William Timmons announced on Apr. 24 an investigation into the federal government’s ability to monitor Science and Technology Agreements (STAs) between U.S. agencies and foreign governments, particularly China.
The investigation focuses on potential national security risks posed by gaps in tracking these agreements. STAs are designed for diplomatic cooperation and scientific exchange but can be misused by foreign adversaries, raising concerns about intellectual property theft and other abuses.
In a letter to Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre, Comer and Timmons requested information from the Department of State regarding how it tracks STAs with China as well as any sub-agreements made between Chinese entities and U.S. federal agencies. The lawmakers wrote, “Under an STA, federal agencies can enter sub-agreements with foreign governments which allow for the sharing of research and technology information. Although an STA is created and maintained by the Department of State, the sub-agreements are coordinated and conducted at the discretion of the entering agency. There are no requirements for federal agencies to inform the Department of their entrance into such an agreement with a foreign country or disclose the terms of such agreements nor is there a centralized system in the U.S. government which tracks these sub-agreements.”
The letter highlighted that without proper information sharing or monitoring systems, it is difficult for U.S. authorities to track possible exploitation by China through cooperative agreements. According to Comer and Timmons, China has used STAs to violate intellectual property rights; they cited over 400 Chinese patents stemming from projects linked to STAs that benefited China’s economy while providing little benefit to the United States.
Comer and Timmons also said that “the PRC has been cited as an unreliable and untrustworthy partner, greatly prioritizing its own benefit from cooperation while actively restricting its partners from receiving similar benefits.” They referenced reports that China withheld influenza strains needed for American flu vaccines in addition to cutting off access in 2019 to U.S.-funded coronavirus research at Wuhan Institute of Virology.
The lawmakers concluded their letter by stating: “Additionally, the PRC has historically weaponized science and technology cooperation to steal the Intellectual Property (IP) and trade secrets from its ‘partner’ countries… The PRC frequently uses cooperation agreements to gain access to—and subsequently steal—science and technology capabilities.”
Further developments will depend on responses received from the Department of State.
