US accuses Chinese tech firms, research institutes of weaponizing biotechnology, creating 'brain-control weaponry'

The Biden administration has blacklisted and sanctioned dozens of Chinese government research institutes and private-sector tech firms, accusing them of weaponizing technology for use at home and abroad, the U.S. departments of Commerce and Treasury announced Thursday.

In particular, the U.S. warned that these entities were working as part of a broader Chinese government strategy to develop and deploy biotechnology, including "brain-control weaponry," for possible offensive use and as part of its crackdown on Uighurs and other Muslim ethnic minorities -- a campaign that the U.S. has determined constitutes genocide.

"The scientific pursuit of biotechnology and medical innovation can save lives. Unfortunately, the PRC is choosing to use these technologies to pursue control over its people and its repression of members of ethnic and religious minority groups," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said, using an acronym for China's formal name, the People's Republic of China.

"We cannot allow U.S. commodities, technologies, and software that support medical science and biotechnical innovation to be diverted toward uses contrary to U.S. national security," she added in a statement.

In total, 12 Chinese research institutes and 22 Chinese tech firms have been blacklisted by her agency and barred from any exports or transfers of U.S. technology, except in limited cases with a license. Chief among them is China's Academy of Military Medical Sciences and its 11 research institutes.

Taken together, they "use biotechnology processes to support Chinese military end uses and end users, to include purported brain-control weaponry," the Commerce Department said in its public notice Thursday.

It's unclear what kind of weaponry might already exist, but Chinese military leaders have talked for years about biotechnology as creating new "offensive capability," including "brain control" weapons and "specific ethnic genetic attacks."

The Commerce Department also took action against entities located in Georgia, Malaysia and Turkey for allegedly “diverting or attempting to divert U.S. items to Iran’s military programs.”

“Specifically, these entities are a part of a network used to supply or attempt to supply Iran with U.S-origin items that would ultimately provide material support to Iran’s defense industries, in violation of U.S. export controls,” the notice said.

For the reasons described above, this final rule adds the following thirty-seven entities
under forty entries to the Entity List and includes, where appropriate, aliases:
CHINA
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Field Blood Transfusion Institution;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Basic Medicine;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Bioengineering;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Disease Control and Prevention;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Health Service and Medical
Information;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Hygiene and Environmental
Medicine;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Medical Equipment;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Radiation and Radiation Medicine;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology;
 Academy of Military Medical Sciences, Military Veterinary Research Institute;

 Aerosun Corporation;
 Changsha Jingjia Microelectronics Co., Ltd.;
 China Electronics Technology Group Corporation 52nd Research Institute;
 Comtel Technology Limited;
 Fujian Torch Electron Technology Co., Ltd.;
 Hangzhou Hikmicro Sensing Technology Co., Ltd.;
 HMN International Co., Ltd.;
 Hong Kong Cheung Wah Electronics Technology Company Limited;
 HSJ Electronics;
 Hyper Systems Union Limited;
 Inner Mongolia First Machinery Group Co., Ltd.;
 Integrated Scientific Microwave Technology;
 Jiangsu Hengtong Marine Cable Systems Co., Ltd.;
 Jiangsu Hengtong Optic-Electric Co., Ltd.;
 ROV Solutions;
 Shaanxi Reactor Microelectronics Co., Ltd.;
 Shanghai Aisinochip Electronics Technology Co., Ltd.;
 Shanghai Aoshi Control Technology Co., Ltd.;
 Shenzhen Rion Technology;
 Thundsea Electric Limited;
 Wavelet Electronics; and
 Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable Co.

GEORGIA
 Gensis Engineering;
 ROV Solutions, and
 SAEROS Safety ERO Company.
MALAYSIA

 Integrated Scientific Microwave Technology.
TURKEY

 Gensis Engineering; and
 Vangurd Tec Makina Sanyi Ithalat

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