The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of global supply chains, particularly the United States’ dependence on China for personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks and gloves. Despite directives from both the Trump and Biden administrations to reduce this reliance, data indicates that in 2025, the U.S. remains heavily dependent on Chinese sources for PPE.
In contrast, the U.S. has maintained an advantage in vaccine development, with companies like Pfizer and Moderna utilizing mRNA technology to quickly respond to viral mutations during the pandemic. This allowed for a faster recovery compared to China, which relied on strict containment policies due to less effective vaccines.
There are growing concerns about advancements in biotechnology and artificial intelligence enabling new forms of biological threats. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its military arm, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), have increased collaboration with biomedical labs to develop potential biowarfare capabilities. There is also an ongoing effort by China to catch up with or surpass U.S. expertise in mRNA technology.
The possibility of engineered viruses targeting specific ethnic groups or selective distribution of vaccines raises significant security concerns. Policymakers warn that these technological developments could be exploited if appropriate safeguards are not established.
Biotechnology has broad applications beyond health emergencies. AI-driven advances such as Google DeepMind’s AlphaFold have accelerated protein structure prediction, while gene-editing tools like CRISPR are revolutionizing medicine and agriculture. These innovations may also help reduce reliance on Chinese supplies of rare earth elements by enabling new methods of extraction.
China’s government has prioritized biotechnology through long-term strategic plans including Made in China 2025 and its Thirteenth Five-Year Plan. Major Chinese companies like BGI Group and WuXi AppTec now dominate global genetic sequencing industries after acquiring American genomics firms—a trend highlighted by a 2021 National Counterintelligence and Security Center report detailing BGI Group’s purchase of Complete Genomics and WuXi’s acquisition of NextCODE Health.
By April 2024, WuXi AppTec was involved in a quarter of U.S.-based drug production, with nearly 80 percent of U.S. biopharmaceutical firms relying on manufacturing inputs from Chinese companies. Some of these entities have documented ties to the PLA and involvement in human rights abuses against Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Hongene Biotech Corporation reportedly produced 70 percent of global nucleic raw materials as of 2022 and has entered into strategic agreements with American partners for drug development acceleration.
Beijing is also working to become self-sufficient—and globally competitive—in vaccine development through companies like Synthgene Biotech Co., which receives support from state-backed entities including the PLA. During the pandemic, Synthgene participated in projects designed to bypass Western patents using AI, raising further intellectual property concerns.
Synthgene’s international reach includes its U.S.-based subsidiary Areterna signing distribution agreements across regions such as North Africa and Europe.
This approach mirrors strategies used by other Chinese sectors—telecommunications, renewable energy—to undercut competitors through lower prices while achieving market dominance. Evidence suggests this strategy is succeeding: By early 2025, China accounted for 40 percent of global drug discovery activity—up from just five percent three years prior—according to a study by Harvard University’s Belfer Center indicating that China may soon overtake the United States in biotechnology leadership.
Security agencies remain concerned about covert biolabs operating within the U.S., referencing incidents such as a December 2022 discovery in Reedley, California where PRC nationals managed an unlicensed lab containing dangerous pathogens including Ebola virus material and genetically modified mice capable of transmitting SARS-CoV-2.
In June 2025, two PRC nationals were charged by the Department of Justice with crimes including smuggling Fusarium graminearum fungus—a potential agroterrorism weapon harmful to staple crops—which authorities say can cause billions in economic losses annually alongside health impacts for humans and livestock.
These cases underscore ongoing risks posed by advanced biotechnology being leveraged for asymmetric warfare or sabotage purposes. Scholars at China’s National University of Defense Technology have identified “ethnic-specific genetic weapons” as possible components for future conflict scenarios involving biological deterrence strategies.
U.S. policymakers are considering several responses:
– Designating additional Chinese biotech firms as military-affiliated entities subject to sanctions.
– Restricting federal agencies’ cooperation with PRC genomics companies following failed attempts at legislative action such as the BIOSECURE Act.
– Prohibiting acquisitions involving pharmaceutical firms controlled by foreign adversaries.
– Requiring divestment by U.S.-based subsidiaries from parent companies headquartered in countries considered adversarial.
– Expanding pathogen surveillance programs at airports beyond current CDC partnerships.
– Mandating domestic manufacturing requirements for key vaccine technologies under federal healthcare programs.
Recent legislative moves include a Senate Armed Services Committee draft requiring Pentagon briefings on threats to genetic medicine supply chains; however, experts argue these measures may not go far enough without additional safeguards.
“Security. Freedom. Prosperity.”
