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The technological race between the United States and China has reached living laboratories, where DNA, artificial intelligence, and biomanufacturing are beginning to influence defense, industry, and national security in a dispute still little visible to the public.
The technological dispute between the United States and China has come to include an area less exposed in public debate than chips, drones, and artificial intelligence: biotechnology.
Reports analyzed by authorities and experts in the United States indicate that the ability to program living organisms, produce materials through biomanufacturing, and combine AI with biological data has become a national security issue.
Biotechnology involves the design and engineering of biological systems to create products, processes, and materials.
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In practice, this field encompasses vaccines, genetic therapies, biological sensors, industrial chemicals, food, and manufacturing solutions based on living organisms.
According to the American commission responsible for studying the topic, the area has ceased to be treated solely as a health or biological defense issue and has begun to integrate discussions on economy, industry, and defense.
The most direct warning came from the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology, a commission created by the American Congress to evaluate how emerging biological technologies might affect the security of the United States.
In a final report released in April 2025, the group stated that China is rapidly advancing in strategic areas and recommended that Washington take measures in the coming years to preserve its competitiveness.
Biotechnology enters the military dispute between the USA and China
The concern of the United States is not limited to pharmaceutical laboratories, medical patents, or academic research.
The commission’s report states it has “every reason to believe” that the Chinese Communist Party may use biotechnology as a military tool.
The document also cites China’s strategy of military-civil fusion and says that Beijing seeks to incorporate biological technologies and man-machine systems into the People’s Liberation Army by 2049, a year associated with China’s goal of developing a world-class military force.
Among the most cited excerpts of the document is the comparison with the recent use of drones in armed conflicts.
According to the commission, “drone warfare will seem quaint” if the United States has to face genetically enhanced Chinese soldiers integrated with artificial intelligence.
The phrase appears as a strategic warning in the report and not as proof that this capability already exists in military operation.
Mike Gallagher, a researcher at the Hudson Institute and head of defense at Palantir Technologies, also linked Chinese advancements in biotechnology to security risks.
In a debate promoted by the institute, he cited forced DNA collection, genetic surveillance, and discussions about military enhancement as examples of sensitive uses attributed to China.
Gallagher also stated that “genetically tailored weapons” are already a topic in Chinese military circles.
From Genetic Editing to the Industrial Use of Biology
The scale change occurs at a moment of convergence between biology, automation, advanced computing, and genetic editing.
Tools like CRISPR allow for the modification of specific segments of DNA in living organisms, while artificial intelligence systems help analyze large volumes of data and identify useful patterns for biological research.
Alexander Titus, a member of the American commission, said that in biotechnology, “it is easier to say what is not possible than what is possible.”
According to him, the area remained out of the center of public debate for longer because it was mainly associated with health and biodefense.
With the advancement of biological engineering, however, living organisms have also come to be seen as platforms for production and technological development.
This interpretation appears in a recurring comparison among researchers: DNA as code.
Jason Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks and former president of the American commission, states that scientists are developing tools to alter this “code” and make cells perform new functions.
Even so, Kelly himself points out that living systems are less predictable than conventional computers because bacteria and other organisms were not designed by humans.
Biomanufacturing and Materials Produced with Living Organisms
One of the military applications under study in the United States involves the production of hardened surfaces with the help of bacteria.
The American Air Force and DARPA, the research agency of the Department of Defense, have been researching ways to use microorganisms to stabilize soils and create landing areas in remote or hard-to-access locations.
The process uses biocement.
Instead of transporting large volumes of concrete, heavy machinery, and numerous teams, the technique applies bacteria to the soil and adds compounds that stimulate the formation of a rigid surface.
In 2019, the Air Force described the initiative as an attempt to develop runways in austere areas.
In tests related to Project Medusa, DARPA sought to transform bacteria into stone-like material for use in runways, roads, and landing areas.
The application relates to a recurring problem in military operations: long supply chains can be disrupted in crises or conflicts.
For this reason, defense agencies are studying ways to produce materials, medicines, fuels, food, or coatings closer to the place of use.
The commission’s report cites biological sensors, dynamic camouflage, logistics, and biomanufacturing of critical items as areas that can be affected by biotechnology.
Biological data gain strategic importance
The competition between the two powers is not limited to laboratories, equipment, or factories.
Biological data have come to be treated as a strategic asset by American experts and authorities.
The report recommends that the United States Department of Energy help organize high-quality biological databases for use in artificial intelligence models.
Another proposal cited by the commission involves collecting biological information on American public lands through a sequencing project associated with the Department of the Interior.
The justification is that the biodiversity of the United States can generate useful data for medicine, agriculture, materials, and industry, provided they are stored and accessed with clear rules.
The same appreciation of data, however, raises concerns about security, espionage, and misuse.
The document advocates greater control over access to sensitive biological information and recommends measures to reduce the risks of transferring strategic data to adversaries of the United States.
China narrows the gap in biotechnology
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, at Harvard University, evaluated national capabilities in critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, semiconductors, space, and quantum computing.
In the index published in June 2025, the United States and China appear with similar performance in biotechnology, although the Americans still maintain an overall advantage.
According to the center, among the areas analyzed, biotechnology is the one where China has the most immediate opportunity to surpass the United States.
The evaluation attributes the closeness between the two countries to differences in strength: Americans excel in security, genetic engineering, vaccine research, and agricultural technology, while China advances based on human capital, pharmaceutical production, and manufacturing capacity.
U.S. Government Tries to Coordinate Response
The main recommendation of the American commission is that the government allocate at least $15 billion over five years to stimulate private investment and strengthen the national biotechnology sector.
The plan includes federal coordination, support for scale production, defense use, workforce training, data protection, and cooperation with allies.
Part of these recommendations has already appeared in legislative proposals.
The National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025 was introduced on April 9, 2025, in the House and Senate, aiming to create a coordinated government approach to biotechnology.
The texts H.R. 2756 and S. 1387 propose authorizing a national initiative and expanding federal coordination on the topic.
In the American Congress, the subject also gained a specific articulation group.
On June 26, 2025, Representatives Chrissy Houlahan, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, and Stephanie Bice, a Republican from Oklahoma, announced the creation of the BIOTech Caucus in the House of Representatives.
The group claims to aim to expand knowledge about biotechnology in Congress and discuss bipartisan policies to maintain American leadership in the sector.
Biotechnology encompasses applications for both civilian and military use, making it more complex to define regulatory limits.
The same tools that can accelerate treatments, reduce industrial dependency, and produce materials can also generate risks of genetic surveillance, coercive data use, and new forms of weaponry, according to reports and experts cited in the American debate.
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