U.S. Biotech Firm Halts Sales Of DNA Kits In Tibet

A US biotech company has halted sales of its DNA testing products in Tibet as lawmakers mull export controls to keep Beijing from using American products to conduct massive surveillance of its own citizens, as reported by Didi Tang for the Associated Press (AP).

Thermo Fisher said that it made the decision in mid-2023 to cease sales of human identification products in Tibet “based on a number of factors.” It did not specify the “factors.” I Photo: Business Wire

Thermo Fisher, based in Waltham, Mass., said that it made the decision in mid-2023 to cease sales of human identification products in Tibet “based on a number of factors.” It did not specify the “factors.”

The move by the biotech company, which in 2019 took similar measures in Xinjiang, came at a time of concerns on Capitol Hill over Beijing’s human rights record.

About a year ago, a bipartisan group of lawmakers demanded to know if the company was certain its equipment was not used to aid or abet rights abuses in China, following reports that the Chinese government had been collecting DNA data from hundreds of thousands of Tibetans.

Beijing faces criticisms for its rule in Tibet, after the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader for most Tibetans, was forced to flee in 1959 when a revolt failed.

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