BEIJING, Dec. 13 -- China and the United States on Friday signed a protocol to amend and extend the Agreement Between the United States and China on Cooperation in Science and Technology.

They have agreed to extend the Agreement for additional five years, effective from August 27, 2024, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

On January 31, 1979, then Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping and the 39th U.S. president Jimmy Carter signed the agreement during Deng's visit to the United States. It was one of the first intergovernmental agreements signed between the two countries following their establishment of diplomatic relations.

Since then, it has renewed approximately every five years, paving the way for sci-tech exchanges between the two countries. The agreement was extended for 6 months in August last year, and again in February this year.