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☆ Zhang Yongzhen: Chinese virologist shared crucial Covid-19 data. Then his research hit hurdles
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Yong Xiong | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The ordeal is just the latest hindrance to Zhang’s research since 2020, according to a colleague who has been in contact with the Chinese scientist in recent years. The “institute always respects … and supports scientific researchers and students in carrying out normal research work,” the statement said. The earlier post by Zhang’s students said the two days originally allocated by the center for them to move their scientific work was insufficient. Following the release of the data, Zhang’s lab had limitations placed on it, which barred it from isolating the Covid virus, Holmes said. That included imposing restrictions by April 2020 on the publication of academic research on the origins of the novel coronavirus.

Persons: Zhang Yongzhen’s, Zhang, ”, hadn’t, Hector Retamal, Edward Holmes, Holmes, ” Holmes, “, He’s, Zhang Yongzhen, ” Zhang, “ He’s, It’s, virologist Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Shanghai, Health, Weibo, Zhang’s, Chinese Center for Disease Control, CNN, Fudan University, Health Clinical, Getty, World Health Organization, Nature, University, Sydney, CDC, China’s National Health Commission, Oxford University Press, Shanghai Public Health Center, Natural Science Foundation of China Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Wuhan, AFP, Beijing

☆ U.S. curbs on China to rise as 'decoupling is really in full force,' expert warns, amid possible TikTok ban
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Sheila Chiang | In Sheilachiang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

"The question is to what extent and how broad will it be," Okun told CNBC's "Street Signs Asia" on Monday. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters the TikTok divesture bill will be on the floor on Wednesday. The Committee wants a "reset," with China Okun said. It is going to apply certainly into biotech – I think this is the sector you want to watch next." The U.S. Senate voted earlier this month to approve a bill that could restrict business with Chinese biotech firms, such as WuXi AppTec and BGI, on national security concerns.

Persons: Steven Okun, Okun, CNBC's, Mike Johnson, China Okun Organizations: APAC Advisors, ByteDance, Chinese Communist Party, U.S, Senate Locations: China, America, U.S, WuXi

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. lawmakers are raising alarms about what they see as America’s failure to compete with China in biotechnology, warning of the risks to U.S. national security and commercial interests. Bills have been introduced in the House and Senate to bar “foreign adversary biotech companies of concern” from doing business with federally funded medical providers. Photos You Should See View All 33 ImagesCritics of the legislation warn that restrictions on Chinese companies would impede advances that could bring a greater good. “It’s not just a supply chain battle or a national security battle or an economic security battle; I would submit it’s a moral and ethical battle,” Gallagher said. He said any restrictive U.S. measures should be tailored to address military concerns and concerns about genomic data security.

Persons: walling, ”, Abigail Coplin, Rachel King, Mike Gallagher, Gallagher, “ It’s, ” Gallagher, “ we’re, Biden, Tom Bollyky, Bollyky, Ray Yip, Yip, “, Anna Puglisi, Puglisi, ” Puglisi, BGI, WuXi AppTec, Dake Kang Organizations: WASHINGTON, — U.S, Biotechnology, Bills, Embassy, Biden, Vassar College, Biotechnology Innovation Organization, National Security Commission, Emerging Biotechnology, U.S . Senate, Chinese Communist Party, Wisconsin Republican, “, Bloomberg, Council, Foreign Relations, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Georgetown University’s Center for Security, Emerging, The Defense Department, Commerce Department, Associated Press Locations: China, U.S, ”, South China, Wisconsin, Boston, United States, WuXi, Beijing

☆ MSCI China Index: 66 stocks cut from benchmark amid stock market rout
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —Global stock index compiler MSCI is deleting dozens of companies from its benchmark China Index, which could further exacerbate fund outflows from Chinese equities after a massive stock market rout. The index provider announced this week that it would drop 66 securities from the MSCI China Index, one of its flagship China indexes, as part of the company’s latest quarterly review. The MSCI China Index is the compiler’s key index tracking the Chinese stock market, covering about 85% of the total market capitalization of Chinese companies listed globally. On Monday, MSCI also announced changes to its other China-related indexes, including deleting dozens of stocks from MSCI China A Onshore indexes and MSCI China All Shares indexes. Hong Kong’s stock market reopened on Wednesday after a long holiday weekend, with the benchmark Hang Seng Index up 0.9%.

Persons: MSCI, ”, Luca Paolini, Hong Organizations: Hong Kong CNN — Global, Investors, Greentown China Holdings, Gemdale Corp, Uni, President, China Southern Airlines, Lufax Holdings, Genomics, Midea, MGI Tech, Management Locations: China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Fuyang, China's, Anhui, AFP, Hangzhou, President China, Beijing, Geneva, Mainland

☆ Scientists create chimeric monkey with two sets of DNA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Scientists based in China have created a monkey chimera with two sets of DNA, experimental work they say could ultimately benefit medical research and the conservation of endangered species. It’s the world’s first live birth of a primate chimera created with stem cells, the researchers said. Scientists have created mouse embryos that are part human, and in 2021, scientists reported that they had grown human-monkey chimeric embryos. In September, researchers reported that they had grown kidneys containing mostly human cells inside pig embryos. Then they selected a subset of cells to inject into genetically distinct 4- to 5-day-old embryos from the same monkey species.

Persons: —, ”, Miguel Esteban, chimeras, Zhen Liu, Liu, Jun Wu, hadn’t, Wu wasn’t, Jacob Hanna, ” Hanna, Penny Hawkins, “ Organizations: CNN —, Cell, Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Research, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Weizmann Institute of Science, Royal Society for, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, Covid Locations: China, Health, Research Hangzhou, Israel, United States

☆ Larry Fink’s next M&A may go in surprise direction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Lauren Silva Laughlin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Reuters GraphicsTIPPING THE SCALESThe shift to low-fee products helped BlackRock’s assets under management swell to more than $9 trillion at the end of September. BlackRock’s history with Blackstone means a reunion with Stephen Schwarzman’s $110 billion firm is a persistent Wall Street rumor. BlackRock’s funds operate under a single name, so uniting with Carlyle (CG.O) or Apollo Global Management (APO.N) would pose a branding challenge. Fink might covet MSCI (MSCI.N), the $38 billion firm which aggregates many of the benchmarks tracked by BlackRock’s ETFs. Given Fink’s long record of pulling off opportunistic and transformational deals, it would be foolish to bet against him springing one last surprise.

Persons: Larry Fink, Fink, Merrill, Rowe Price, Janus Henderson, Blackstone, Stephen Schwarzman’s, Carlyle, covet, MSCI, Michael Bloomberg, doesn’t, LSEG –, Peter Thal Larsen, Thomas Shum, Streisand Neto Organizations: CNBC, New York Stock Exchange, Reuters, BlackRock, Blackstone, Barclays Global Investors, Credit Suisse, UBS, nab, Graphics, Apollo Global Management, London Stock Exchange, Thomson Reuters, New, Bloomberg, Wall Street, New York Times, LSEG – Bloomberg, Thomson Locations: New York City, U.S, BlackRock, Boston, Swiss, New York, United States

☆ Britain may designate genomics sector as critical infrastructure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

British Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions at the House of Commons in London, Britain, July 12, 2023. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Britain is exploring designating its genomics sector as critical national infrastructure, Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday, amid pressure from lawmakers concerned at China's activity in the field. Asked by one of those lawmakers if Britain would designate the genomics sector as critical national infrastructure, Dowden said it was a legitimate point which he was considering. "It's not currently designated as such, but in my role in the cabinet office, I keep the register of critical national infrastructure under review, and it's something which I am exploring," he told lawmakers. Critical national infrastructure (CNI) is infrastructure that, if compromised, could have a major detrimental impact on essential services or a significant impact on national security.

Persons: Oliver Dowden, Jessica Taylor, Handout, Dowden, It's, Alistair Smout, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS Acquire, Reuters, National Security and Investment, Thomson Locations: London, Britain

☆ China’s sitting on a goldmine of genetic data – and it doesn’t want to share
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-11 | by ( Jessie Yeung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

The national survey and restrictions on foreign access are part of new regulations on China’s genetic resources, which came into effect in July. The national genetic surveyBiobanking in China – meaning the collection of biological samples – is still “very fragmented,” and in an “embryonic stage,” said Zhang. But these concerns aren’t new – and the national genetic survey seems to be geared more toward scientific research than other purposes, several experts agreed. But China has another motive, too: establishing what some experts call “genomic sovereignty,” meaning full control of the genetic material within their country. While many other countries also have laws regulating the use and transfer of their population’s genetic material, few are as strict as China’s.

Persons: Guang Niu, ”, Joy Y, Zhang, you’re, Wei Liang, ICHPL, Anna Puglisi, Puglisi, States –, Katherine Wang, ” –, Wang, “, Sun, Xi Jinping, Jiankui, Anthony Wallace, ” Zhang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Central South University, Centre for Global Science, biosciences, Shanxi Province Reproductive Science, Communist Party, Georgetown’s Center for Security, Emerging Technology, Gray, Group, CNN, Ministry of Science, Technology, National Health Service, National Institutes of Health, NIH Locations: Hong Kong, China, Changsha, Shanxi Province, Taiyuan, States, “, Wuhan, Xinijang, Xinjiang, Beijing, AFP, Harvard

☆ China opposes U.S. adding Chinese firms to trade blacklist
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

HONG KONG, March 3 (Reuters) - China opposes the United States adding several Chinese firms to its trade blacklist, China's commerce ministry said on Friday. China urges the United States to stop using any excuse to suppress Chinese firms, the ministry said in a statement posted on its website. The U.S. Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, recently added two units of genetics company BGI (300676.SZ) to the export control list. Reporting by Meg Shen and Twinnie SiuOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ US blacklisting is no match for TikTok virality
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, March 3 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The United States’ web of trade restrictions has a TikTok-sized hole in it. The Commerce Department added another 28 Chinese firms to its trade blacklist on Thursday, requiring licenses to acquire U.S. wares. Yet social media app TikTok, which government officials have repeatedly voiced national security concerns over, hasn’t been hit with trade curbs. TikTok parent ByteDance is based in China and has eluded that list, largely because the Commerce Department’s tools affect hard goods, not software. Meanwhile, negotiations between U.S. regulators and TikTok over a security deal have dragged on for years.

REUTERS/Eric ThayerMarch 2 (Reuters) - The Biden administration on Thursday added 37 companies to a trade blacklist, including units of Chinese genetics company BGI (300676.SZ) and Chinese cloud computing firm Inspur, in a move that promises to further ratchet up tensions with Beijing. The Commerce Department, which oversees export controls, added BGI Research and BGI Tech Solutions (Hongkong), over allegations that the units pose a "significant risk" to contributing to Chinese government surveillance. The Commerce Department accused Inspur of acquiring and attempting to acquire U.S. goods to support China's military modernization efforts. Commerce added 26 other Chinese entities to the list - which makes it hard for targeted companies to receive shipments of U.S. goods from suppliers. In 2020, the Commerce Department added two units of BGI Group, the world’s largest genomics company, to its economic blacklist over allegations it conducted genetic analyses used to further the repression of China’s minority Uyghurs.

Atlanta/Hong Kong CNN —The United States on Thursday added two subsidiaries of Chinese genetics company BGI to a trade blacklist over allegations it conducted genetic analysis and surveillance activities for Beijing, which Washington says was used to repress ethnic minorities in China. CNN has reached out to BGI Group, which is one of the world’s largest genomics companies and a listed firm based in Shenzhen, for comment on its subsidiaries. China has regularly pushed back against these reports with firm denials. The latest list compiled by the US Department of Commerce includes a total of 28 Chinese entities, four from Pakistan, three from Myanmar and one each from Belarus, Russia and Taiwan. Being placed on the list means the entities are restricted from buying American technology and other goods.

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