Exclusive reports reveal the presence of machinery operated by Chinese military company BGI at Los Alamos National Laboratory, sparking concerns about Beijing's encroachment into the nation's most secretive research facilities. The Oversight Committee is aware of the situation and has passed a bill to prohibit the flow of taxpayer dollars to biotech companies linked to China.
The House Oversight Committee has uncovered the alarming presence of machinery operated by Chinese military company BGI at Los Alamos National Laboratory, a highly sensitive research facility where the atomic bomb was developed. This revelation raises serious concerns about the potential for Chinese espionage and the compromise of national security secrets.
BGI-Linked Machinery Raises Security Concerns at Top-Secret Los Alamos Lab
BGI Group, the parent company of the machine in Los Alamos, is a leading biotech and genomics company in China. However, the Pentagon has designated BGI as a "Chinese military company" due to its close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). BGI has received substantial investment from the Chinese government's largest investment vehicle, the State Development and Investment Corp (SDIC).
According to the National Security Commission on AI, BGI's activities "may be serving, wittingly or unwittingly, as a global collection mechanism for Chinese government gene databases." This raises concerns that China may be acquiring sensitive personal information from individuals worldwide.
BGI-Linked Machinery Raises Security Concerns at Top-Secret Los Alamos Lab
China has a history of attempting to steal secrets from Los Alamos. In 1999, the New York Times reported that the FBI believed China had miniaturized its nuclear bombs using information stolen from Los Alamos National Laboratory.
BGI has established numerous subsidiaries in the US in recent years, likely to evade scrutiny. However, in 2021, the Pentagon listed BGI as a "Chinese Military Company" operating in the US and blacklisted two of its subsidiaries for alleged genetic analysis and surveillance activities for Beijing.
BGI-Linked Machinery Raises Security Concerns at Top-Secret Los Alamos Lab
The House Oversight Committee has passed the BIOSECURE Act, which aims to prohibit US taxpayer dollars from flowing to biotech companies owned, operated, or controlled by China or other foreign adversaries. The bill has been referred to the Senate Homeland Security Committee, but it remains unclear when or if the Senate will consider it.
The presence of BGI-linked machinery at Los Alamos National Laboratory raises significant security concerns. The committee may conduct an investigation into the matter, as China's continued attempts to infiltrate sensitive US facilities pose a threat to national security.
BGI-Linked Machinery Raises Security Concerns at Top-Secret Los Alamos Lab
In 2021, BGI partnered with the CCP on a neonatal genetic test, enabling the collection of information from millions of women for research on population traits. In 2022, BGI acquired Complete Genomics, an American genomic sequencing firm. Additionally, BGI spun off MGI, which went public on the Shanghai stock market, with Complete Genomics as a subsidiary. MGI remains majority-owned by BGI and entities with ties to the CCP.
The presence of BGI-linked machinery at Los Alamos National Laboratory highlights the ongoing threat posed by Chinese government-linked entities to US national security. Congressional action and further investigation are crucial to address these concerns and prevent the further infiltration of sensitive facilities.
