China has accused the US of collecting genomic data of international demographics after the US accused it of surveilling ethnic minorities through the same means.
Chinese Backlash
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a press conference on Wednesday that the claims “do not hold water and mean nothing except manufacturing sensational news items.”
“China is a country governed by law. The privacy of all Chinese citizens, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, are protected by law,” he stressed.
Wang also alleged that it was the US, in fact, that was widely collecting and using genomic information. Citing the Wall Street Journal, the spokesperson said that the Pentagon has “formulated R&D plans for hitting opponents with genetically engineered weapons,” and that the US military was collecting genomic data of Asian Chinese, European Aryans, and Middle Eastern Arabs.
He further cited Russia-based media house RT to support his claim that the US Air Education and Training Command “once issued a tender seeking to acquire samples of ribonucleic acid (RNA) and synovial fluid from Russians.” “It’s pretty clear who exactly is using genomic information for secret purposes,” Wang shot back.
US Allegations
The backlash from China comes after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of collecting human genomic data of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang and Tibet as an additional form of control and surveillance.
In his address at Freedom House’s Annual Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, Blinken said that “access to human genomic data opens up a whole other set of human rights concerns.”
“Advances in biotechnology have enabled genomic surveillance based on a person’s DNA, potentially facilitating abuses. And we’ve seen some of those, for example, committed by the People’s Republic of China against Uyghurs and other minorities in Xinjiang,” he alleged.
“We’re also concerned by reports of the spread of mass DNA collection to Tibet as an additional form of control and surveillance over the Tibetan population,” Blinken stated.
The diplomat added that last September, US President Joe Biden had issued an executive order on biotechnology and biomanufacturing innovation, which attempts to ensure that the US and its partners “continue to lead and set norms and rules on advanced biotechnology in a way that is rights-affirming and reflects our values.”