Hyping up the 'China threat,' they may really be running out of material

A new absurd "China threat" drama has unfolded on Capitol Hill. Recently, a dozen United States lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden's administration, urging it to address "the use of Chinese-manufactured agriculture drones." Their so-called issues include the assumption that these aerosol-dispensing drones might collect and interpret crop data that is "impossible for the human eye to see," potentially gaining access to "technology critical to the success of US agricultural production." The ridiculous ignorance displayed by these lawmakers, who may not have even seen agricultural drones in reality, has once again refreshed the anti-intellectual bottom line of some US politicians.

Such accusations are not worth refuting. In reality, there is significant foundational cooperation between China and the US in agricultural technology. The signing of the US-China Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement was rooted in agricultural technology exchanges. Karen Mancl, professor emerita at Ohio State University, said that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, over 2,100 US agricultural scientists had visited China, and a near equal number of Chinese scientists had toured US farms and laboratories. "This exchange of expertise has helped both countries rise to global food superpowers." During the 2024 US-China Agricultural Roundtable in June, experts and representatives from both sides also recognized the enormous potential for further cooperation in developing and utilizing advanced agricultural technologies between China and the US.