China's Quest for Human Genetic Data Spurs Fears of a DNA Arms Race (adn.com) 32
In 2020 Serbian scientists were gifted China's "Fire-Eye" labs, remembers the Washington Post. The sophisticated portable labs "excelled not only at cracking the genetic code for viruses, but also for humans, with machines that can decipher genetic instructions contained within the cells of every person on Earth, according to its Chinese inventors."
Although some of them were temporary, "scores" of the portable labs "were donated or sold to foreign countries during the pandemic," reports the Washington Post. But it adds that now those same labs "are attracting the attention of Western intelligence agencies amid growing unease about China's intentions." Some analysts perceive China's largesse as part of a global attempt to tap into new sources of highly valuable human DNA data in countries around the world. That collection effort, underway for more than a decade, has included the acquisition of U.S. genetics companies as well as sophisticated hacking operations, U.S. and Western intelligence officials say. But more recently, it received an unexpected boost from the coronavirus pandemic, which created opportunities for Chinese companies and institutes to distribute gene-sequencing machines and build partnerships for genetic research in places where Beijing previously had little or no access, the officials said. Amid the pandemic, Fire-Eye labs would proliferate quickly, spreading to four continents and more than 20 countries, from Canada and Latvia to Saudi Arabia, and from Ethiopia and South Africa to Australia. Several, like the one in Belgrade, now function as permanent genetic-testing centers...
BGI Group, the Shenzhen-based company that makes Fire-Eye labs, said it has no access to genetic information collected by the lab it helped create in Serbia. But U.S. officials note that BGI was picked by Beijing to build and operate the China National GeneBank, a vast and growing government-owned repository that now includes genetic data drawn from millions of people around the world. The Pentagon last year officially listed BGI as one of several "Chinese military companies" operating in the United States, and a 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment linked the company to the Beijing-directed global effort to obtain even more human DNA, including from the United States. The U.S. government also has blacklisted Chinese subsidiaries of BGI for allegedly helping analyze genetic material gathered inside China to assist government crackdowns on the country's ethnic and religious minorities...
Beijing's drive to sweep up DNA from across the planet has occasionally stirred controversy, particularly after a 2021 Reuters series about aspects of the project. Chinese academics and military scientists have also attracted attention by debating the feasibility of creating biological weapons that might someday target populations based on their genes. Genetic-based weapons are regarded by experts as a distant prospect, at best, and some of the discussion appears to have been prompted by official paranoia about whether the United States and other countries are exploring such weapons.
U.S. intelligence officials believe China's global effort is mostly about beating the West economically, not militarily. There is no public evidence that Chinese companies have used foreign DNA for reasons other than scientific research. China has announced plans to become the world's leader in biotechnology by 2035, and it regards genetic information — sometimes called "the new gold" — as a crucial ingredient in a scientific revolution that could produce thousands of new drugs and cures...
U.S. intelligence officials said in interviews that they have limited insight into how BGI handles DNA information acquired overseas, including whether genetic data from the Fire-Eye labs ultimately end up in the computers of China's military or intelligence services... Chinese law makes clear that any information collected using BGI's machines can be accessed by the Chinese government. A national intelligence law enacted in 2017 stipulates that Chinese firms and citizens are legally bound to share proprietary information acquired in foreign countries whenever requested.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 for sharing the article
Although some of them were temporary, "scores" of the portable labs "were donated or sold to foreign countries during the pandemic," reports the Washington Post. But it adds that now those same labs "are attracting the attention of Western intelligence agencies amid growing unease about China's intentions." Some analysts perceive China's largesse as part of a global attempt to tap into new sources of highly valuable human DNA data in countries around the world. That collection effort, underway for more than a decade, has included the acquisition of U.S. genetics companies as well as sophisticated hacking operations, U.S. and Western intelligence officials say. But more recently, it received an unexpected boost from the coronavirus pandemic, which created opportunities for Chinese companies and institutes to distribute gene-sequencing machines and build partnerships for genetic research in places where Beijing previously had little or no access, the officials said. Amid the pandemic, Fire-Eye labs would proliferate quickly, spreading to four continents and more than 20 countries, from Canada and Latvia to Saudi Arabia, and from Ethiopia and South Africa to Australia. Several, like the one in Belgrade, now function as permanent genetic-testing centers...
BGI Group, the Shenzhen-based company that makes Fire-Eye labs, said it has no access to genetic information collected by the lab it helped create in Serbia. But U.S. officials note that BGI was picked by Beijing to build and operate the China National GeneBank, a vast and growing government-owned repository that now includes genetic data drawn from millions of people around the world. The Pentagon last year officially listed BGI as one of several "Chinese military companies" operating in the United States, and a 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment linked the company to the Beijing-directed global effort to obtain even more human DNA, including from the United States. The U.S. government also has blacklisted Chinese subsidiaries of BGI for allegedly helping analyze genetic material gathered inside China to assist government crackdowns on the country's ethnic and religious minorities...
Beijing's drive to sweep up DNA from across the planet has occasionally stirred controversy, particularly after a 2021 Reuters series about aspects of the project. Chinese academics and military scientists have also attracted attention by debating the feasibility of creating biological weapons that might someday target populations based on their genes. Genetic-based weapons are regarded by experts as a distant prospect, at best, and some of the discussion appears to have been prompted by official paranoia about whether the United States and other countries are exploring such weapons.
U.S. intelligence officials believe China's global effort is mostly about beating the West economically, not militarily. There is no public evidence that Chinese companies have used foreign DNA for reasons other than scientific research. China has announced plans to become the world's leader in biotechnology by 2035, and it regards genetic information — sometimes called "the new gold" — as a crucial ingredient in a scientific revolution that could produce thousands of new drugs and cures...
U.S. intelligence officials said in interviews that they have limited insight into how BGI handles DNA information acquired overseas, including whether genetic data from the Fire-Eye labs ultimately end up in the computers of China's military or intelligence services... Chinese law makes clear that any information collected using BGI's machines can be accessed by the Chinese government. A national intelligence law enacted in 2017 stipulates that Chinese firms and citizens are legally bound to share proprietary information acquired in foreign countries whenever requested.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 for sharing the article
yet more anti-china BS (Score:2, Troll)
the CIA scriptwriters appear to not be on strike, unlike the guys in Hollywood...
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Clearly, China's script writers are alive and kicking!
Everything is for sale (Score:2, Troll)
"Some analysts perceive China's largesse as part of a global attempt to tap into new sources of highly valuable human DNA data in countries around the world".
Why is human DNA "highly valuable"?
I can see that it could be very useful in combatting disease and understanding the human organism better. But I have a feeling that "highly valuable" in this context means "highly valuable in terms of dollars and cents".
For years reports have been published giving details of how the US DoD has been payying various peo
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We must stop China from discovering new medicines that they could sinisterly use to heal diseases around the world FOR SOME REASON.
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you mean, from experiments paid for by the US ?
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Re: Everything is for sale (Score:2)
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No doubt the actual scientist are doing it for the greater good or even the for the glory of China (no foul there). But China, Xi, the CCP ... those scientists and their research are just weapons. There is no good will, no greater good, nothing beyond sino-centric domination and imperialist subjugation of all others. And and preemptive STFU before you bring up some b-b-b-but-
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I can see that it could be very useful in combatting disease and understanding the human organism better. But I have a feeling that "highly valuable" in this context means "highly valuable in terms of dollars and cents".
Or, by the same token, it could be very useful in developing targeted diseases.
As a completely random example, say collecting DNA from regions inhabited by Uighur people would lead to finding a specific DNA marker for that population. This may be valuable to Chinese leadership in ways very different from "dollars and cents".
Could we imagine some president of China (again, completely randomly, let's say he was visiting Wuhan at the time) casually remarking something like "Will no one rid me of this turbulent
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Medicines tailored to individuals are seen as the next big thing in medicine. Imagine a custom made drug that targets your cancer, and nothing else.
Editing DNA could fix a lot of other conditions too.
As such this is unsurprising. The only real difference is the way in which the governments of different countries help their pharma industries.
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Imagine a poison tailored to individuals.
Re: Everything is for sale (Score:2)
Give them samples from ... (Score:2)
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Or better, your mom.
That will be the end of any genetic program.
The Holy Grail -- warfare by race (Score:1)
Part of the genetics Holy Grail for many Middle Eastern countries and China is finding a way to kill by race. If someone isn't Han, a bug that kills them, or if someone has any Jewish blood, something that attacks that.
All the push for genetics have been mainly to further the dream of a "kill all but our race" magic bullet.
Re:The Holy Grail -- warfare by race (Score:4, Insightful)
Jewish blood
There's no Jewish genotype.
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Jewish blood
There's no Jewish genotype.
As with any ethnic group, you may not be able to find a specific marker that is 100% unique to that group and is present in every single member of that group. But you can certainly find a large number of genetic markers that are more common in that group-- there is an extensive body of research on the topic.
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Jewish blood
There's no Jewish genotype.
As with any ethnic group, you may not be able to find a specific marker that is 100% unique to that group and is present in every single member of that group. But you can certainly find a large number of genetic markers that are more common in that group-- there is an extensive body of research on the topic.
Jews aren't an ethnic group, they're a religion, albeit one that's highly correlated with a handful of ethnic groups (mostly Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews).
Either way, I think an ethnicity specific bioweapon is highly infeasible because populations are way too mixed. Any weapon keyed to a single gene is going to not only miss a lot of people inside the group, but also and kill a ton outside the group (probably more because the non-group population is much larger to begin with). A bioweapon requiring a bunch
Re: The Holy Grail -- warfare by race (Score:4, Informative)
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Re: The Holy Grail -- warfare by race (Score:2)
It would appear that diversity really IS our strength (during genetic warfare).
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mod parent up
DNA arms race?!? (Score:2)