China's genetics company BGI denies human rights violations of Uighurs

Chinese genetics firm BGI Group on July 22 issued a statement after the United States Department of Commerce added two of its subsidiaries in the list of entities implicated in human rights violations and abuses in Xinjiang. As per the Department of Commerce's press release, two BGI Group companies 'Xinjiang Silk Road BGI' and 'Beijing Liuhe BGI' were added in connection with conducting genetic analyses used to further the repression of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in Xinjiang. The BGI Group on Wednesday said that they are puzzled by and greatly regret the decision of the US Commerce Department to include two BGI Group entities on the list of Chinese entities facing sanctions. 

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"BGI Group does not engage in unethical practices and does not provide gene technology for the surveillance of Uighurs. BGI Group does not condone and would never be involved in any human-rights abuses. The 'Xinjiang Silk Road BGI' subsidiary mentioned was established in November 2016 and has not carried out actual business so far. The other mentioned subsidiary 'Beijing Liuhe BGI' provides commercial Sanger sequencing services for researchers and scientists conducting basic scientific research," BGI Group said in a statement on Wednesday.

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The statement further added that it is unclear why the subsidiaries have been included on the list of entities facing sanctions by the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) that comes under the US Department of Commerce and how its services or products could be used with respect to the allegations made. "BGI Group strictly abides by all international business practices and laws and regulations, conducts business operations in compliance with regulations on a global scale, and is committed to making positive contributions to public health in various countries and regions," the release said.

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US sanctions 11 more firms

Meanwhile, the Department of Commerce has accused Beijing of repressing its citizens by actively promoting the reprehensible practice of forced labor and abusive DNA collection and analysis schemes. The Department of Commerce on July 20 added 11 Chinese companies to the 'Entity List' for being a party in People's Republic of China's (PRC) campaign of repression, mass arbitrary detention, forced labor, involuntary collection of biometric data, and genetic analyses targeted at Muslim minority groups from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR).

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(Image Credit: AP)