US funding yielded over 1,000 patents for Chinese researchers

Data will fuel calls to end or renegotiate landmark science, technology deal with China

The US Defence Department, Nasa and other government agencies funded research that led to more than 1,000 US patents for China-based inventors since 2010, including in sensitive fields such as biotechnology and semiconductors, data from the US patent agency showed.

The US patent data, which was reviewed by Reuters and has not been reported previously, will amplify calls to cancel or renegotiate the landmark US-China Science and Technology Agreement, a cooperation deal that critics say disproportionately benefits Washington's top geopolitical rival.

The US Patent and Trademark Office supplied the data in August to the House of Representatives' select committee on China. In June, it asked the agency whether US funding resulted in Chinese breakthroughs, aiming to highlight what it views as the risks of renewing the pact.

According to the patent office, the agency granted 1,020 patents from 2010 through the first quarter of 2024 that were both funded at least in part by the US government and involved at least one China-residing inventor. The data does not detail whether US entities or individuals share the patents. The patents included 197 in pharmaceuticals and 154 in biotechnology, both strategic industries for China and the United States.