Workshop on Prospects for U.S.-P.R.C. Cooperation on Earthquake Engineering Research

Abstract

In January 1980, the United States of America (U.S.) National Science Foundation and U. S. Geological Survey together with the Peoples' Republic of China (hereafter, P.R.C. or China) State Seismological Bureau and the State Capital Construction Commission established a joint protocol for scientific and technical cooperation in earthquake studies. The U.S.-P.R.C. Protocol for Scientific and Technical Cooperation (hereafter, The Protocol) was the outgrowth of a series of delegation exchanges between 1976 and 1979. The rationale for the establishment. of a protocol was the realization that the United States and China are among the countries most threatened by earthquakes and the recognition of value to be gained from an exchange of information from the serious research and mitigation programs in operation in each country. The Protocol includes seven annexes, the titles of which are listed in Appendix A. Annex III of The Protocol is Cooperation in Earthquake Studies: Cooperative Research on Earthquake Engineering and Hazards Mitigation. The primary objective of Annex III is the development of safe and cost-effective engineering design methods and construction practices and other countermeasures to improve seismic safety. Initially the emphasis of this Annex was on the application of engineering knowledge of earthquake strong-ground motion, its effects on structures, and the dynamic behavior of soils. Recently, in their cooperative discussions concerning this Annex, both the United States and China have included other aspects of earthquake reduction, such as mitigation measures, emergency management, social and economic effects, and education. Primary responsibility for the administration of Annex III lies with the Division of Biological and Critical Systems within the Engineering Directorate of the National Science Foundation (NSF) in the United States and with Office of Earthquake Resistance within the Ministry of Construction (MOC) in China. Representatives of the NSF Engineering Directorate and the MOC Office of Earthquake Resistance meet annually to review the status of joint work being conducted under The Protocol and to set the agenda for future cooperative efforts. In 1989 NSF and the MOC agreed that much benefit could be derived from a joint U.S.P. R.C. workshop that would bring together experts from both countries to identify the research strengths of each country and define a joint research agenda for consideration under Annex III of The Protocol. The workshop, which was hosted by the P.R.C. Institute of Engineering Mechanics of the State Seismological Bureau, was held in Guangzhou, China, on April 25-28, 1992.