Media: UK reduces scientific cooperation with China
Financial Times, 11th: The UK has reduced some areas of technological cooperation with China due to escalating security risks, despite a senior British minister praising China as a "powerful scientific nation".
UK Science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance said that the UK and China have agreed to cooperate in "non-controversial areas" such as health, climate, planetary science, and agriculture.
This statement followed his meeting in Beijing on Tuesday with Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Chen Jiachang. Subsequently, both countries signed an updated bilateral science and technology cooperation agreement.
However, the previous agreement signed in 2017 by then Minister for Universities, Jo Johnson, had promised cooperation in areas such as satellites, remote sensing technology, and robotics. These areas are not mentioned in the latest agreement.
Neither side announced any new joint research funding programs. In 2014, the Sino-British Research and Innovation Partnership Fund was launched, jointly funded by London and Beijing with 200 million pounds.
Lord Vallance said, "Our relationship with China is different from 2017, and we have deliberately chosen areas where we believe there are no security risks."
He added, "China is now a country with extremely strong scientific power. Our researchers want to collaborate with them, and they want to collaborate with us."
The Financial Times said that this simplified agreement highlights a shift in Western attitudes toward research collaboration with China, reflecting concerns about Beijing's growing technological dominance.
Western policymakers frequently warn that breakthroughs in areas such as artificial intelligence and robotics are strengthening China's military capabilities and helping it capture global market share in industries ranging from electric vehicles to solar panels.
In December 2024, during the last few weeks of President Joe Biden's term, China and the United States postponed signing an extended version of their 46-year-old science and technology cooperation agreement, which has a more limited scope.
The agreement includes both sides' commitment not to "arbitrarily detain, harass, abuse, threaten, or intimidate" researchers involved in the agreement.
Lord Vallance stated that the UK did not consult with the United States before signing the new framework with China, calling it an Sino-British bilateral matter.
At the beginning of the Labour Party's rule, relations between the UK and China were on the rise, with ministers visiting Beijing multiple times to restart communication channels, while relations had been cold under the Conservative government.
Sources: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848611439369355/
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