WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. currently leads the world in the field of biotechnology. China, however, is gaining ground, and a new report from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology (NSCEB) warns the U.S. must take action now, or risk falling behind in protecting and safeguarding the homeland.
“The Chinese have been investing in bio-tech for two decades now, and they specifically are focused on solving problems to help their war fighters,” Sen. Todd Young, chairman of the NSCEB Commission, told CBN News.
Biotechnology is simply technology based on science. The U.S. became top in the field by pioneering advancements in medicine, agriculture, and defense, but as China harnesses artificial intelligence, that lead is slipping. Senator Young says a major concern is Beijing pursuing the weaponization of biotech.
“Among the things they’re doing is investing in materials that are lighter than ours, in propellant so that their missiles travel further than ours, and even potentially in biological weapons. The United States does not do that, but we certainly need to be prepared to defend against those sorts of contingencies,” Young said.
He believes it’s imperative the U.S. doesn’t lose its competitive advantage.
“We are in this cat-and-mouse game that has to be won, and we can only win if we are making the similar sorts of advancements that the Chinese, we have to assume, are also making,” the senator explained.
The commission presented its report to Congress last month, and several top recommendations include: Congressional action to make biotechnology a national priority, a $15 billion investment over the next five years to bolster domestic biotech research, and finding a way to provide more bio-data to innovators.
“AI-ready bio-data is the currency of the realm for national security purposes, and China has access because they don’t have the same privacy laws that we do. They literally take biological data from their people and from other flora and fauna. We need to start building through, consistent with our own values, a big database of AI-ready bio-data,” said Sen. Young.
He says it’s not too late for the U.S. to maintain bio-tech dominance, as long as Congress doesn’t wait to take action.
“There are many other issues, admittedly, that are competing for attention right now, whether it’s immediate threats overseas, or fiscal issues we’re dealing with here in the United States, tariff policy, but I’ve tried to encourage my colleagues to focus on this issue amidst all the other distractions and priorities. Because, frankly, if we wait much longer, we’re going to be behind,” Young said.
The commission’s report suggests that failure by the U.S. to stay ahead would signal a global power shift toward China, handing them both an economic and defense advantage.
