China Is Militarizing Biotechnological Research

Biotechnologies promise huge leaps in medicine but also military technologies. Leaders of the Chinese army have been recently talking about genetic weapons, ethnically specific genetic attacks and other ways to achieve victory other than classical warfare. Should we be afraid?

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The impressive leaps in biotechnologies and genetic engineering promise many exciting applications in medicine and many possibly saved lived. But as it commonly is, successful technologies also attract the military. Elsa Kania and Wilson Vorndick recently warned that the Chinese army has been getting more involved with biotechnologies.

The interest of the Chinese army is more than confirmed by the work of the best Chinese military scientists and army leaders. Both of them are writing about how biology will have a key role in future warfare. No matter whether they are talking about biomaterials or weapons capable of affecting the enemies brains. The studies often talk about the offensive potential of biotechnologies and the possibility of ethically targeted genetic attacks. While at the moment all of these are theoretical history also tells us that just somebody talking about stuff like this is something we should take note of. Based on just the information available the Central Military Commission of China has financed research projects about the brain, advanced biomimetic systems, biomaterials, enhancing human abilities, and other advanced biotechnologies since 2016.

Just take a look at the fact that China has become the world leader in genetic engineering with CRISPR on human patients. And even the well-known scandal with genetically modified kids – we still don't know whether it hadn't had an official blessing. Because if it hadn't, well that would be quite uncommon in current-day China.

Sources:

• https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2019/08/chinas-military-pursuing-biotech/159167/

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