Oklahomans Weigh In On STEM Race With China

Winning the race with China for global leadership in science and technology was the focus of a hearing Tuesday on Capitol Hill, a hearing that had Oklahomans both asking and answering the questions. 

The threat posed by China, in one form or another, was the subject of three separate hearings, in the House alone. In the Science, Space and Technology Committee, the focus was on America maintaining its position as a leader in technology and innovation.

“The CCP is determined to overtake us as the global leader in science and technology," said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK3), the committee's chairman 

Congressman Lucas says, with regard to STEM, the Chinese Communist Party "is out-spending us, out-publishing us, and out-educating us," and the four witnesses for today's panel agreed.

"Our extraordinary leadership -- our global leadership -- in science and technology is being challenged as never before," said Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier, the Regents' Professor of Meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and former Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

In an interview after the hearing, Droegemeier explained that China is a threat because the Chinese government doesn't play by the same rules that the United States and most of the Western world does.

"China is a real threat -- they’re a very big competitor, but they’re also a collaborator," said Dr. Droegemeier. "So, how do you walk the fine line between working with China and then also competing against China, and how do you address some of their ways of doing things, which are not the principled, ethical morals and values that we here in America cherish?"

Indeed, that was a question that several committee members raised, some seeming to suggest that China's penchant for stealing intellectual property and personal data should be enough reason to no longer collaborate with them and forbid Chinese nationals from participating in U.S. research.

"I think closing off China completely is definitely not the right way to go," Droegemeier stated. "[Chinese students] long for the freedoms we have, so having them come here is a good thing. If we can lead with our values, we can help them understand our values, but we also have to be careful and be vigilant about who we’re working with."

Droegemeier says he certainly doesn't downplay the risks of working with unscrupulous individuals and governments, whether they're Chinese or any nationality.

"No, we’re making sure that if you’re involved with S&T (Science and Technology) research, you play by the rules, or otherwise we toss you out," Droegemeier said. "Because so much is at stake: healthcare, national defense, security, economic security -- if we skirt the rules in research, then we can’t trust anything that comes out of research and we don’t want to go there."

Droegemeier says developing a national science and technology strategy, as Congress has begun doing, is ultimately the best step we can take.

"Frankly, this is the first time since the end of World War II that we really are sort of pausing as a nation to say, 'Where do we want to collectively go?' and I think this is a really important thing that Congress has put on the table for us." Droegemeier said. "I think it’s now up to us, as a nation, to decide where we are going in science and technology, research and education, and have that strategy, and I think that’s one of the most important ways we can thwart the unethical activities of the Chinese government."