Bill Seeks to Block Funding to Biotechnology Firms of ‘Foreign Adversaries’

New legislation introduced to the House and Senate seeks to bar the United States from funding Chinese biotechnology companies that could pose a risk to national security. The BIOSECURE Act would restrict federally funded medical providers from using products and services from biotechnology companies of concern, as well as from engaging in contracts with them or providing taxpayer-funded grants to them. The legislation singles out several top Chinese firms with deep ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military wing, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). These include biotech companies BGI, MGI, Complete Genomics, and WuXi Apptec. Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who introduced the House version of the legislation, said the CCP would seek to use the genetic data collected by these companies to further its efforts to undermine the United States....