Washington [US], August 30: Since 2010, the US Department of Defense, NASA and other government agencies have funded research that has resulted in more than 1,000 patents for Chinese researchers.
Data from the United States Patent and Trademark Office ( USPTO ) shows that the patents cover sensitive areas such as biotechnology and semiconductors . The USPTO provided the data this month to the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition with China.
From 2010 to the first quarter of 2024, the USPTO granted 1,020 patents to China. Of these, 197 were for pharmaceuticals and 154 for biotechnology - both strategic industries for both China and the United States.
The patents were funded by various US government agencies. Four patents came from NASA funding 92 from the Pentagon, 175 from the US Department of Energy , and 356 from the US Department of Health and Human Services.
"It is alarming that U.S. taxpayer dollars have inadvertently funded more than 1,000 patents for Chinese entities, with the U.S. Department of Defense accounting for nearly 100 of these patents," John Moolenaar, chairman of the special committee on China, said in an email to Reuters.
USPTO, NASA, relevant US departments and organizations have not responded to the above information.
According to Reuters, the situation may be part of the landmark 1979 Science and Technology Agreement between the United States and China, a deal that many consider asymmetric. This cooperation agreement has been criticized by US lawmakers due to concerns about Beijing's growing military power and allegations of theft of US intellectual property.
Meanwhile, supporters of extending the deal argue that ending the agreement would stifle Washington's academic and commercial cooperation, and prevent the US from learning about China's technological advances.
The US State Department said it was still talking to China about the deal. "The United States remains committed to promoting and protecting its interests in science and technology," a State Department spokesperson said.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said science and technology is an "open business" and expressed hope that some officials in the US will abandon their Cold War mindset .
According to Reuters, patents granted by the USPTO account for only a small fraction of China's global patent portfolio. In recent years, China has surpassed the United States to become the world's top patent applicant.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper