Photo: Karīna Miezāja
8:13 PM, February 6, 2022
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Latvian gene researchers have accepted a million-worth of equipment from a Chinese medical company, which the US media blames for stealing patient data, TV3’s “Nekā personalīga” reports.
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On 11 January, the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a report on the past year in the government and then in the Saeima.
In addition to threats from Russia and Belarus, the Latvian Foreign Ministry also mentions China’s harmful actions: “Russia and China continue to expand information manipulation operations and propaganda against democracies; this is particularly the case with the disinformation campaign against Covid-19 vaccines available in the West. There are also a number of abusive cyber-activities involving Russia and China. “
The document had not even been considered by the government when the Chinese embassy in Latvia issued a rather aggressive statement that Latvia’s desire to discuss, for example, Taiwan’s independence was completely unacceptable. That is a purely internal matter for China. ” “The complete reunification of China is the desire of all the sons and daughters of the Chinese people.” The embassy does not like other messages from our foreign department either.
“The statements in the foreign policy report that China is ‘expanding information manipulation’, ‘China is linked to a number of cyber-abuses’ and ‘poses a threat to regional stability’ are completely unfounded.”
The company of the Chinese gene research giant BGI Group, founded by one of the richest inhabitants of China, has opened a gene sequencing center in Latvia, which will be the largest of its kind in the Baltics.
The China Gene Sequencing Center has been operating in the territory of Riga Airport since 2018. Created by BGI Group, a Chinese private company.
CBS reported that China was trying to collect American DNA to control future health.
Recently, US media reported that Chinese companies have already stolen medical data from most Americans. The name of this company was also uttered.
Current estimates suggest that the Chinese Communist Party has stolen the personal data of about 80 percent of Americans.
Many countries, including Latvia, want to create a genome fund for their population. With the resulting data bank, it would be possible to predict the future of illnesses and how to apply medical services to it.
Of course, special services and large medical companies from other countries would also like to obtain this data.
The management of the Biomedical Research and Study Center says that the state allocates minimal money to the idea. So you have to fight for yourself. And the Chinese company BGI Group has given Latvian researchers an expensive device without which gene sequencing would not be possible.
Scientists are aware that Chinese representatives may be interested in the data of the Latvian population, but there are no concerns about the leakage of information yet.
JĀNIS KLOVIŅŠ, Director of the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center
Can you tell in a humane and understandable way what the device that has been given to you does with it?
JĀNIS KLOVIŅŠ, Director of the Latvian Biomedical Research and Study Center Its device takes human DNA and traces the entire sequence of 3 billion letters and decodes the entire human genome. Of course, this is not one device. This is a complex of equipment. And what is important is that this data remains in the BMC and we can use it protected.
It has been simplified in the past that because of poverty you simply have to accept a gift from China. Because there are no other options.
At the moment really… It is not that we do not use other technologies. We also have Illumina. But we obviously have no alternative to sequencing this amount.
The Chinese Confucius Institute has been operating at the University of Latvia for more than 10 years. It is closed in many parts of the world because of concerns about the threat of espionage in Sweden, for example. The U.S. Senate Committee of Inquiry has concluded that the faculty members of these institutes documented with the educational institution that what was taught there would not harm China’s interests. The rector of the University of Latvia and also the head of the institute deny the concern about spies. They only learn the language and translate the books.
As the National Security Service has shown us, they are also concerned about the institute’s involvement with Chinese authorities: The institute’s opportunities to receive scholarships to study in China are also associated with intelligence risks. ”
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