Chinese biotech firms refute US bill, saying ‘national security’ claims are false
Chinese biotechnology firm WuXi AppTec on Sunday refuted the proposed US Biosecurity Act, which prohibits US federal agencies from having contracts with a number of Chinese biotech firms due to “alleged complicity with the Chinese military,” calling it a false accusation.
The politically motivated act, as part of the extended US crackdown on Chinese companies, has targeted Chinese biotech companies, including WuXi AppTec, BGI Group, MGI and Complete Genomics, citing so-called national security reasons.
The bill sparked a sell-off in shares of some of those companies in recent days. But it hit a delay in the Senate recently, Reuters reported, citing a Senate aide and three other sources on Friday.
This move marked the latest development of the act after a select committee of the US House of Representatives recently drafted the bill, which is widely considered an extended US crackdown on Chinese companies in the field of biotechnology.
In a statement that WuXi AppTec released on Sunday, the company stressed that it does not engage in human genomics business nor does it collect human genomic data in any of its existing businesses.
Additionally, the company has no affiliation with any government or military organizations, it stated.
The company has not posed, does not pose and will not pose any national security risk to any country, and thus should not be predefined as a “biotechnology company of concern” in the draft legislation, according to the statement.
The company said last week that the corresponding content about companies contained in the draft act is neither appropriate nor accurate, and it is “closely watching” the development of the bill, the company said in a filing to the Shanghai bourse.