British "Nature" magazine article on July 19, original title: Despite political influence, Sino-US research cooperation
continues activities, but the aftermath of the program continues.
Over the past five years, the number of U.S.-China cooperation has declined.
But many researchers are looking for ways to ensure the collaboration continues.
The U.S. federal government should learn how to facilitate these partnerships.
The author studies how geopolitics affects international collaboration, working with researchers at the University of Arizona to survey some 2,000 scientists in the United States between May and July 2021.
About 95% of respondents believe that Chinese scientists have made important contributions to research; 93% believe that restricting cooperation with China will have a negative impact on academia; 87% say the United States should strengthen cooperation with China.
Another study shows that the upward trend in U.S. scientific output is largely supported by China.
Without Chinese co-authors, the number of publications in the U.S. would decline, while without the U.S., China’s publication rate would increase.
Much of the political focus in the United States is on fighting intelligence theft, but researchers are concerned about lost opportunities to generate knowledge and insights.
Unwise policies can hinder collaboration with leading scientists, but ultimately not scientific collaboration.
Many scientists say they are abandoning partnerships with China, or even all ties outside the United States, for fear of unfair prosecution.
But many others find alternative ways to maintain cooperation, such as seeking non-federal funds; maintaining cooperation but avoiding financial transactions between countries; expanding from two-country teams to multi-country teams...especially a lack of clarity in identifying, reporting conflicts of interest Scientists in the US find (new) ways to work with China.
Should the U.S. government crack down further?
This bureaucratic "witch hunt" will harm domestic science.
To prevent the opposite effect, (US) scientists, especially in international teams, must be involved in developing clear policies, and there must be mechanisms in place to prevent excessive (US) government intervention.
Cooperation with Chinese counterparts should not be seen as a sign of potential criminality.
Inadvertent administrative errors should not result in researchers being barred from labs and students — or more severely punished.
Unless researchers are empowered to defend their interests when seeking collaboration, sweeping measures to combat possible intellectual property theft could harm — rather than boost, U.S. competitiveness.
(Author Jenny J. Lee, translated by Qiao Heng)