WASHINGTON – Biden officials said on Thursday they had imposed trade restrictions on more than 30 Chinese research institutes and organizations for human rights abuses and allegations of technological advances, such as brain control weapons, that undermined the security of the United States.
The Department of Commerce has accused the Academy of Military Medical Science of China and its 11 research institutes of using biotechnology “to support Chinese military use and end users, deploying weapons that control the brain,” according to a statement in the Federal Register.
The notice does not elaborate on the supposed weapons that control the brain.
“The scientific advances in biotechnology and inventions in medicine can save lives. Unfortunately, the PRC chooses to use this technology in pursuit of control of its own people and its oppression of members of ethnic and religious groups, ”US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo wrote in a statement on the People’s Republic of China and human rights abuses. in the far western part of China Xinjiang.
Earlier, the State Department described the harassment of Uyghurs and members of other Muslim minorities in the Xinjiang region as “widespread, government-sponsored forced labor” and “mass arrests.”
Earlier this month, the White House announced the boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, citing “ongoing killings and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang and other human rights abuses.”
Beijing denies harassing religions and ethnic minorities in Xinjiang.
The Department of Trade has listed four more Chinese organizations in their business list for their role in modernizing the Chinese war, as opposed to U.S. national security. and foreign policy interests.
The department also added five other Chinese companies with allegations of “acquiring or attempting to acquire technology in the United States to help modernize the People’s Liberation Army.”
U.S. officials have long complained that China’s intellectual property theft is costing billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of jobs. They also say it threatens national security. Meanwhile, Beijing insists it does not engage in intellectual property theft.
Later Thursday, the Ministry of Finance announced sanctions on eight Chinese technology companies “for biometric tracking and tracking of ethnic and religious minorities in China, particularly the small number of Uyghur Muslim Muslims in Xinjiang.”
The companies mentioned by Treasury are: Cloudwalk Technology, Dawning Information Industry, Leon Technology Company, Megvii Technology, Netposa Technologies, SZ DJI Technology, Xiamen Meiya Pico Information and Yitu.
The Chinese ambassador to Washington, DC, did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The Ministry of Trade has also taken action against organizations in Georgia, Malaysia and Turkey for allegedly “diverting or attempting to divert US resources to Iran’s military plans.”
“Specifically, these organizations are part of a network used to provide or attempt to provide Iran with US-based resources that could ultimately provide tangible support to the Iranian defense industry, in violation of US export controls,” the statement said.
In total, the Ministry of Commerce has taken action against 34 organizations in China, three in Georgia, one in Malaysia and two in Turkey.