Chinese Genetics Firm’s Testing in Middle East Raises New U.S. Tensions
- Washington warns against giving Beijing access to health data
- Chinese co. rolled out Covid-19 test centers across the region
Source: AFP via Getty Images
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While the U.S. struggled to come up with enough tests to manage the world’s largest coronavirus outbreak, a Chinese genetics company took less than a month to build testing centers thousands of miles away in the Middle East.
By moving swiftly, Shenzhen-based BGI Group won hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts with traditional U.S. allies including Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. Now the U.S. is warning those countries that they may be giving Beijing access to highly prized personal data that will propel economies of the future.