U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement Extends 5 Years Ahead of Trump's inauguration

Ahead of the launch of the second U.S. administration of Donald Trump, the U.S. and China have decided to extend the science and technology agreement, which expired in August, by five years.

In a statement on its website, China's Ministry of Science and Technology announced that representatives of the two governments had signed a protocol in Beijing on the revision and extension of the Science and Technology Agreement.

Bloomberg said the agreement, which was signed this time, sought to protect U.S. interests by increasing transparency and adding a mechanism of accountability for violations of the agreement.

The news agency said the U.S. and China maintained a path of cooperation by renewing long-standing agreements amid a wide range of tensions ranging from national security to trade.

The U.S.-China Science and Technology Agreement was the first bilateral agreement signed together during diplomatic relations between the U.S. and China in 1979, signed by U.S. President Jimmy Carter and China's Deng Xiaoping.