With China in mind, U.S. Reps. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) recently introduced the BIOSECURE Act (H.R.8333) – a bill to make it illegal for the federal government to contract with the biotechnology companies of foreign adversaries.
Pitched as a way to safeguard American patients and tax dollars alike, the legislation builds on efforts undertaken by the 118th Congress against Chinese actions already. Of particular concern to the representatives are the Chinese national security laws, which require all Chinese firms to share any requested data with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – something that included biotechnology companies. Given these companies can collect, test and store genomic data from the populations of other countries, that conceivably leaves that data vulnerable to Chinese intrusion.
“This is particularly important in light of China’s publicly stated desire to dominate the global biotechnology market by 2035 and the Chinese Communist Party’s ongoing denial and coverup on the origins of the COVID-19 virus in Wuhan,” Wenstrup, chairman of the House Select Committee on the Coronavirus Pandemic Brad Wenstrup, said. “For too long, U.S. policy failed to recognize the twin economic and national security threats posed by China’s domination of particular markets and supply chains, all too clearly highlighted during the pandemic. U.S. supply chains must break free from our dependency on foreign adversaries – American patients cannot be a position where we rely on China for genomic testing or basic pharmaceutical ingredients.”
He went on to pitch BIOSECURE as the first step in a multi-pronged approach from Congress.
Together with Krishnamoorthi and their cosponsors, Wenstrup also called out several Chinese companies in particular: the Beijing Genomic Institute and WuXi AppTec among them. BGI operates more than 100 genetic collection labs in more than 20 countries, which the lawmakers accused of being used to serve Chinese ambitions to dominate biotech and advance that nation’s military. In WuXi’s case, they estimated the company makes more than 60 percent of its revenue from the U.S. market, despite sponsored events with China’s military and accusations both of involvement in genocide against Uyghurs and the theft of U.S. intellectual property.
“As Americans have their blood drawn or take other medical tests each day, few have any idea that their personal genetic information could be going to biotech companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party and other adversaries that would weaponize our own genomes against us,” Krishnamoorthi, ranking member for the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the U.S. and the CCP, said. “From DNA testing to a range of other diagnostic tools, biotechnology is only growing in importance, but it is essential that Americans reap those health benefits without our country’s adversaries harvesting our genetic information for their own ends. Our bipartisan legislation would reduce this threat by preventing the flow of taxpayer dollars to biotech entities controlled by foreign adversaries, protecting the personal genetic information of Americans along with our national security.”
To date, the United States has placed export control restrictions on BGI for involvement in the genetic tracking of ethnic minorities in China’s Xinjiang region. In that region, China has been repeatedly accused of committing genocide against the native Uyghur minority.
Co-sponsors of the BIOSECURE Act include U.S. Reps. John Moolenaar (R-MI), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Neal Dunn (R-FL), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Elise Stefanik (R-NY), and Don Davis (D-NC).