China’s top spy agency has issued a warning about the threat of a new type of bioweapon that could target individuals based on their genetic characteristics. The Ministry of State Security (MSS) claimed that foreign countries have been collecting genetic data from China to develop such weapons, which could selectively attack people with specific racial genes.
Genetic weapons are more harmful than traditional ones
In a post shared on WeChat, a popular social media app in China, the MSS said that genetic weapons are more concealable, deceptive, easy to spread and harmful in the long-term than traditional biological and chemical weapons. They also said that genetic weapons are difficult to prevent, isolate and low-cost.
“Once used in war, the consequences will be devastating,” the MSS wrote.
The MSS did not name any specific country or organization that is allegedly developing genetic weapons, but warned that they could pose a serious threat to China’s national security and sovereignty.
Foreign countries have been stealing genetic data from China
The MSS also accused foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of recruiting Chinese volunteers to collect data and information on the distribution of biological species in various places under the pretext of scientific research. The MSS said that the genetic data was then transmitted abroad, violating China’s biological and ecological security.
The MSS urged the public to report any suspicious activities that could endanger national security and to protect their personal information and biological samples from being exploited by foreign forces.
According to the Global Times, a state-run newspaper in China, if an AI model is fed enough human genetic samples, it can analyze and understand the unique genetic characteristics of each ethnic group and design weapons that target them.
China has been accused of developing ethnic bioweapons
While China claims to be a victim of foreign espionage and biowarfare, some critics have accused China of developing ethnic bioweapons itself. Robert Kennedy Jr., an independent presidential candidate in the US, has previously stated that Covid-19 was engineered to spare Jewish and Chinese people.
Kennedy also claimed that China has been preparing for a third world war with biological weapons and that it has been conducting experiments on ethnic minorities such as Uyghurs and Tibetans.
However, China has denied these allegations and said that they are baseless and malicious. China has also called for international cooperation and transparency in the field of biotechnology and biosecurity.
