On September 9, the US House of Representatives passed H.R. 8333, known as the BIOSECURE Act, targeting WuXi AppTec, BGI, MGI, Complete Genomics, WuXi Biologics and Chinese biotechnology companies more broadly.

Measures & Context

If signed into law, the BIOSECURE Act would prohibit entities that receive US federal funding from doing business with foreign biotechnology companies affiliated with the People’s Liberation Army, including the five Chinese biotechnology companies explicitly named in the bill. The bill also seeks to prevent the transfer of US persons’ genetic information to foreign adversaries.

The bill addresses concerns that foreign biotechnology companies, particularly Chinese companies, could use genetic data for surveillance or espionage.

The bill’s measures are part of a broader set of restrictive measures against China following the passage of the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Act. This law prohibits federal agencies from purchasing telecommunications equipment from certain foreign companies, including those from China, due to security concerns, and prevents them from contracting with companies that use such prohibited equipment.

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