(Dan Tri) – The world’s largest biotechnology company, BGI Group, has cooperated with the Chinese military in a variety of fields, from Covid-19 testing to brain science – something unknown
BGI Company (Illustration: BGI)
Reuters news agency reviewed more than 40 publicly available documents and research papers in English and Chinese and found links between BGI and the Chinese military, including research between the company and experts.
Accordingly, BGI has sold millions of Covid-19 test kits outside of China since the pandemic broke out, including in Europe, Australia and the US.
But top US security officials have warned the country’s laboratories against using Chinese test kits due to concerns that China is seeking to collect genetic data abroad for its research.
The documents reviewed by Reuters do not support or contradict America’s suspicions.
The US government was recently warned by a panel of experts that hostile nations and non-state forces may seek to or target genetic weaknesses in the US population, and a competitor
According to Reuters, BGI has cooperated with the Chinese military on projects aimed at making members of the Han ethnic group, China’s majority, less susceptible to altitude sickness, and research on this gene could be beneficial.
An American expert told Reuters that the Chinese military has promoted research in brain science, gene editing and the creation of artificial genomes that could be used in future biological weapons, although
During the administration of former US President Donald Trump, Chinese technology companies were increasingly scrutinized by the US and subjected to increased sanctions.
Recently, Fox News also cited information from US intelligence warning that Beijing may be trying to collect Americans’ DNA after BGI once recommended to build and operate Covid-19 testing laboratories in Washington.
A technology industry panel on artificial intelligence, appointed by the US government and chaired by former Google executive Eric Schmidt, sounded the alarm last October about financial support.
The commission, which is expected to issue its final report in March, warned of adversaries using artificial intelligence to identify genetic weaknesses in a population and diseases to profit.
The committee recommended that the US government take `a more drastic public move regarding BGI`, citing national security risks posed by the connection between this company and the Chinese government, and the data warehouse.
China spoke up
Responding to questions from Reuters, BGI said the company complies with international standards and Chinese laws related to genetic research, data sharing and open science.
The US State Department did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment on the information.
Meanwhile, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the US government had `deliberately misinterpreted and defamed China’s civil-military integration policy` and imposed unreasonable sanctions to hinder the
BGI Group, headquartered in Shenzhen, has grown rapidly by selling gene sequencing services to universities and health systems around the world and amassing large DNA data banks.
