U.S. Blacklists BGI, Barring Chinese Genomics Goods Under 2021 Forced-Labor Law
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 28
U.S. Blacklists BGI, Barring Chinese Genomics Goods Under 2021 Forced-Labor Law
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 28
Summary
BGI was added Wednesday to a U.S. trade blacklist that bars the Chinese genomics company from shipping goods into the United States.
The Trump administration said the move targets products tied to forced labor in China, while years of bipartisan scrutiny have also centered on BGI's Beijing links and access to large genetic-data troves.
U.S. officials have linked BGI subsidiaries to abuses in Xinjiang, including genetic analyses of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim minorities; BGI has said its work is only for civilian and scientific purposes.
BGI sells DNA sequencers and runs labs for researchers and drugmakers worldwide, and the action risks fresh friction with Beijing despite a broader trade truce ahead of expected Trump-Xi meetings next month.