Revitalizing the U.S.–China Science Relationship

Posted January 29, 2021

Academic and research relationships between China and the United States are vital for scientific advancement worldwide, panelists said during a Jan. 15 discussion.

“Our new strategic plan at Georgia Tech makes clear that global engagement in tackling global challenges is core to our mission to develop leaders who advanced technology and improve the human condition,” said Chaouki Abdallah, Georgia Tech’s vice president for research. “By any measure, our global connection to China is one of our most significant.”

“But let me be candid, we are increasingly aware of some of the negative aspects of US-China scientific, technological collaborations and the use issues around intellectual property protections, transparency, and conflicts of commitment, national security concerns, economic security concerns, our pledge to freedom of expression and equity, as well as our commitment to human rights and upholding human dignity,” he said.

He said he hoped the discussion would “productively examine ways to sustain valuable, profitable, and ethical collaborations” with China.

The public discussion, organized by Michael Best, professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, and Jenna Jordan, associate professor in the Nunn School, was the opening session of a daylong workshop designed to explore science and diplomacy between the two countries.

The sessions that followed were executive sessions meant to explore the US-China relationship from four viewpoints: Washington, D.C., Beijing, Georgia Tech, and Shenzhen, China.

“This is part of an ongoing effort to understand how an institution such as Georgia Tech can navigate relationships with China in a way that advances our core goals of scientific inquiry along with human, social, and global development,” Jordan said.

The panelists — Deborah Seligsohn, an assistant professor of political science at Villanova University, and Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts Dean Kaye Husbands Fealing — said continued deep collaboration with Chinese scientists and students remains important.

“There are scientific and broad economic benefits from international collaboration, some of them superadditive,” Husbands Fealing said.

At the same time, she said, a “balanced approach is critical.”

“We don’t want to close up our borders, but we also need to make sure that we have assessments in place to mitigate risks,” she said.

Seligsohn, a former U.S. Foreign Service officer who spent years in China, urged administrators and faculty members to educate elected representatives about the value of collaborating with Chinese scientists and students. She also urged greater scrutiny of security concerns, saying authorities have sometimes conflated industrial security with national security.

“We need to be pushing back on the idea that every scientist is a security risk because I think they aren’t,” Seligsohn said.

Husbands Fealing also spoke about the value of “science diplomacy.”

“We know that science can contribute to foreign policy objectives and improve relations. We also see that scientific collaboration can create trust. And that trust is so important as a bridge within our society.”

Following the panel discussion, Provost Steven McLaughlin offered opening remarks for the executive session portion of the event. President Ángel Cabrera provided closing remarks.

Jordan and Best are drafting a set of recommendations based on the discussion and hope they assist in developing Georgia Tech’s foreign policy with China.

“These conversations should enable strong collaborations with China, mindful of the larger strategic environment including security, economic, and justice issues,” Best said. “Our aim is to examine not only what the United States thinks of China, but what China thinks of U.S. interests and goals searching for possibilities of alignment.”