China genetics company – ‘not state owned or controlled’ – challenges Entity List inclusion
‘Misinformation’ may be the cause of a Chinese genetic research company, BGI, being placed on the US Entity List maintained by the US Bureau of Industry and Security (‘BIS’). So said the company in a 5 March statement, which read:
‘We are aware of, and disagree with, the decision of the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) under the U.S. Department of Commerce to include BGI Research, BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong) Co., Ltd., and Forensic Genomics International on the Entity List. We believe the BIS’s decision may have been impacted by misinformation and we are willing and able to clarify.’
BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong) were added to the list because of BIS suspicions that the units pose a ‘significant risk’ to contributing to Chinese government surveillance. BIS claimed that the collection and analysis of genetic data by the entities presents a significant risk of diversion to China’s military programmes.
While news agency Reuters previously reported that BGI was collecting genetic data from millions of women for sweeping research on the traits of populations, and that it collaborates with China’s military, BGI said its work ‘strictly abides by local, regional, and global moral and ethical standards, and adheres to all required laws and regulations.’ It added, ‘BGI Group does not condone and would never be involved in any human-rights abuses. None of BGI Group is state-owned or state-controlled, and all of BGI Group’s services and research are provided for civilian and scientific purposes.’
