Letter to FBI & DNI Requesting DNI Briefing on Chinese Communist Party-Linked Biotech Firm

Chairman John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray and Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Avril Haines requesting a briefing on a People’s Republic of China (PRC) biotech firm GenScript Biotechnology and its three main business segments — Bestzyme, Legend Biotech, and ProBio — for their ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the implications these connections may have for U.S. national security.

The lawmakers write, “GenScript’s role as a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), including services such as the production of custom gene synthesis for companies and U.S. Government entities, raises concerns about potential risks to the intellectual property of U.S. firms and GenScript's broader role in advancing the PRC’s biotech capabilities."

They continue, "GenScript is working to establish CCP-controlled chokepoints in critical areas of biotechnology in which the U.S. currently leads... GenScript’s public statements and the active role of its internal CCP Committee in guiding company strategy suggest a concerted effort to advance Beijing’s goal of reducing reliance on foreign biotech and achieving a dominant position in the global industry."  

The lawmakers requested that the DNI and FBI Director brief the Select Committee on available intelligence and law enforcement information regarding GenScript Biotech Corporation and its U.S.-based subsidiaries to determine the extent of CCP influence and control over their operations, the potential risks they pose to U.S. national security, and the implications of their efforts to displace U.S. leadership in the biotechnology sector. 

View the lawmakers’ letter to FBI Director Wray and DNI Haines HERE