Reuters, in a review of a group of academic studies, found close collaboration between China’s Huada Genetics, the world’s largest biotechnology company, and the Chinese military, with joint research covering a wide range of fields including large-scale testing of respiratory pathogens and human brain science.
Reuters said in an exclusive report issued Saturday (Jan. 30) that it reached this conclusion during a study of more than 40 publicly available documents and academic papers in English and Chinese. The study revealed that UWM has multiple ties to the People’s Liberation Army and that it has professional collaborations with supercomputer experts in the Chinese military. The scope of the collaboration is broader than previously understood.
Since the New coronavirus outbreak, UWM has sold millions of COVID-19 test kits to Europe, Australia, the United States and many other countries. The price of UW-Gene’s stock in the Shenzhen stock market has doubled in the past 12 months, and the company’s market capitalization has reached $9 billion.
Senior U.S. Security officials have warned U.S. labs not to use Chinese testing methods, mainly because of concerns that China is collecting foreigners’ genetic data for its own research. In response, UWM denied it.
The documents seen by Reuters neither support nor refute such U.S. suspicions. However, they show that the relationship between the Chinese military and UWM is much deeper than past estimates. This shows that China has made great strides in integrating civilian technology companies with military research since Xi Jinping took office.
Reuters found that UW Genetics is involved in a research project by the People’s Liberation Army to reduce altitude sickness among Han Chinese. The research will benefit PLA soldiers working in certain border areas of China.
Elsa Kania, a scholar at the Center for a New American Security, a U.S. think tank, told Reuters that the Chinese military is promoting research in human brain science, gene editing and the creation of artificial genomes, all of which could be used to create future biochemical weapons. Such weapons are not currently technically feasible, Kania said.
Kania said the pattern of cooperation between UWM and the Chinese military is reason for U.S. officials to be “concerned.
In a response to questions from Reuters, UWM said it adheres to international standards and complies with Chinese laws on scientific openness, data sharing and genetic research. The Chinese company said its collaboration with military researchers was for academic purposes only.
A statement from UW Genetics said, “UW Genetics firmly rejects any allegations of a link between the company and the PLA, particularly in relation to our COVID-19 virus test kit.”
UW Genetics had offered to set up and run testing labs in six states, including Washington, New York and California. This was opposed by U.S. security agencies. Bill Evanina, director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center, called on states to resist this move by UW Genetics.
“Foreign countries can collect, store and use biometric information from COVID testing,” Evanina said. “This poses a threat to national security,” Evanina added.
Evanina said an estimated 80 percent of American adults have had their personally identifiable information stolen by the Chinese Communist Party. “In the last five years, probably five or six health care companies” have been infiltrated and hacked by the Chinese Communist Party.
Under the Trump administration, Chinese technology companies have come under increasing scrutiny from the U.S. government. Last November, the U.S. Commerce Department proposed adding gene-editing software to the U.S. export control list because it could be used to create biological weapons.
The Biden administration signaled after taking office that the new administration would maintain a tough stance on the issue against the Chinese threat.
China’s Foreign Ministry called the U.S. allegations an arbitrary misinterpretation and smear of “China’s civil-military integration policy.
In a response to Reuters, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, “The goal of China’s civil-military integration policy is to effectively mobilize civil-military resources, coordinate socio-economic growth with national defense development, and create welfare for the people through scientific and technological progress.”
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