Due to worries about the Chinese government’s widespread monitoring of American goods, Thermo Fisher has stopped selling its DNA testing kits in Tibet.
A US biotech company has halted sales of DNA kits in Tibet—and lawmakers are mulling more export controls on China (Photo: Google)
Navigating Complexities in US-China Relations
The mid-2023 decision follows a 2019 Xinjiang ethnic region shift by the corporation. Thermo Fisher said that numerous reasons influenced the decision but did not disclose them.
U.S. lawmakers are exploring export curbs to prevent Beijing from conducting mass surveillance using American items. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of U.S. corporations’ China engagement, especially given Beijing’s human rights record. A bipartisan group of legislators had previously questioned Thermo Fisher about its possible role in helping Chinese rights violations, especially in collecting Tibetan DNA.
China denies collecting ethnic minority DNA data, calling the charges baseless. The Chinese Embassy in Washington stressed that Chinese nationals’ privacy is respected regardless of race and that China follows the law. The nation denies human rights violations in Xinjiang and Tibet and opposes politicizing economic cooperation.
READ ALSO: US-China Tech Tension Threatens EU’s Stability
Balancing Corporate Actions and Human Rights Concerns
Thermo Fisher assured U.S. legislators in January 2023 that its goods were being utilized in Tibet, mostly in police casework and forensics. Lawmakers and rights groups appreciate Thermo Fisher’s Tibet sales ban, but they want more. Some politicians want to stop selling DNA collection kits to China out of fear of human rights violations.
While celebrating Thermo Fisher’s withdrawal from Tibet, legislators want the Commerce Department to do more to prevent American corporations from working with China’s police and security in Tibet. With worries about China’s widespread monitoring using such items, U.S. firms must not contribute to its technology weapons of repression.
READ ALSO: Analyst Warns Fallout From Taiwan Elections Could Deepen Mistrust In US-China Relations
