News of the Week
U.S.-GHINA SCIENCE AGREEMENTS SIGNED Normalization of political relations between the U.S. and the People's Republic of China—heralded by the current visit to the U.S. of vice premier Teng Hsiao-ping—is bringing with it growing normalization of scientific relations, as well. A decisive step in this process was taken last week. In a White House ceremony, U.S. and Chinese leaders signed an umbrella agreement and specific accords for cooperation in science and technology. The five-year umbrella agreement, signed by President Carter and Teng, provides for U.S.-Chinese cooperation in agriculture, energy, space, health, environment, earth sciences, engineering, and other areas to be added later, and for educational and scholarly exchanges. Only civil sector science—with no military connection—is covered. The cooperation will include exchange of scientists, scholars, and students; exchange of information and documentation; joint planning and implementation of projects; joint research, development, and testing, and exchange of research results and experience; and joint courses and conferences. Direct contacts and agreements between government agencies, universities, and organizations will be encouraged. A U.S.-China Joint Commission on Scientific & Technological Cooperation will oversee the program, meeting yearly. Cochairmen will be Presidential Science Adviser Frank Press and Fang Yi, a vice premier who is in charge of China's science and technology and is a member of the ruling politburo. Press' Office of Science & Technology Policy will be the U.S. executive agent. Its Chinese counterpart will be the State Scientific & Technological Commission, which Fang also heads. Each side will pay for its own part. The umbrella agreement will be implemented through accords in specific areas. Thus, at the White House ceremony, Press and Fangsighed accords for cooperation in agriculture, space technology, and educational exchange, and Secretary of Energy James Schlesinger and Fang signed an agreement on cooperation in high-energy physics. Such quick agreement was possible in these areas because informal understandings had 6
C&EN Feb. 5, 1979
Fang Yi: scale the heights
been reached by U.S. delegations to China, led by Schlesinger (C&EN, Nov. 13, 1978, page 7) and Secretary of Agriculture Bob Bergland, and by Chinese groups to the U.S. Moreover, Secretary of Health, Education & Welfare Joseph Califano will be going to China during the next few months, as will Secretary of Commerce Juanita Kreps and Sec : retary of the Treasury Michael Blumenthal. Thus, agreements in health and other research areas, and normalization of economic and trade relations, will be pursued. The space technology agreement includes turnkey purchase by the Chinese of a U.S. communications satellite and its ground system (to
cost some $500 million). The National Aeronautics & Space Administration will place the satellite in a geosynchronous orbit. The Chinese will use it for telephone and color television transmission, and to teach children in rural areas. China also will buy a ground station that can use NASA's Landsat remote sensing satellite. The agricultural agreement includes cooperation in such areas as germ plasm research, biological control of insects (well developed in China), and medicinal plants. Educational exchanges already are well advanced, with 500 to 700 Chinese scientists, engineers, and students scheduled to come to the U.S. this year, and about 60 U.S. students and scholars scheduled to go to China. The focus in high-energy physics is U.S. assistance in design, fabrication, and testing of a 50-GeV proton synchrotron accelerator to be built near Peking. China will reimburse the U.S. for all costs. Cooperation in four other energy areas also is being discussed—coal, oil and gas, hydroelectric power, and renewable energy sources. At a luncheon at the National Academy of Sciences for Fang and his aides—given by Press and attended by leading scientists and science policy makers—the Chinese leader acknowledged frankly that "China is still rather backward" in science and technology. So in exchanges with the U.S., he says, "We have more to learn from you." However, he adds, "We are determined to scale the heights step by step," and to "make a greater contribution to mankind." D
Air cleanup benefits far
