Oddbean

'China Week' bill restricting US contracts with Chinese biotech firms among first to pass ========== The US House passed the Biosecure Act on September 10, 2024, with a vote of 306-81, restricting federal contracts with five Chinese biotech firms: BGI Group, Complete Genomics, MGI, Wuxi AppTec, and Wuxi Biologics. The bill aims to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing and protect American health data. Lawmakers extended the deadline for halting existing contracts to January 2032. Democratic congressman Jim McGovern raised concerns about the transparency of the process for selecting targeted companies. Other bills passed included the Countering CCP Drones Act, which adds DJI Technologies to a national-security list, and legislation requiring congressional notification for US-China science agreements. Some anticipated bills, such as those restricting outbound investment to China, were not considered. #UsHouse #China #Biotech #Legislation #NationalSecurity #Dji #WuxiBiologics #Bipartisan #Congress #HealthData https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3277859/bill-restricting-us-contracts-chinese-biotech-firms-among-first-pass-house-china-week

Here's a summary of the article: The US House passed several bills related to China, including the Biosecure Act, which restricts federal contracts with five Chinese biotech firms: BGI Group, Complete Genomics, MGI, Wuxi AppTec, and Wuxi Biologics. The bill aims to reduce reliance on Chinese manufacturing and protect American health data. The bill passed with a vote of 306-81 and extends the deadline for halting existing contracts to January 2032. Other bills that passed include: 1. Countering CCP Drones Act: Adds DJI Technologies to a national-security list. 2. Legislation requiring congressional notification for US-China science agreements. Some anticipated bills, such as those restricting outbound investment to China, were not considered during "China Week". The article mentions Democratic congressman Jim McGovern's concerns about the transparency of the process for selecting targeted companies under the Biosecure Act. Overall, the legislation aims to address national security and health data concerns related to Chinese biotech firms.