08-04-2025
China is beating U.S. in biotech advances, report warns
China has pulled ahead of the United States in key areas of the life sciences, and the U.S. may only have a handful of years to regain dominance in the sector, according to an independent commission's report sent Tuesday to Congress and the White House.
Why it matters: Advanced biotechnology is critical to national security, public health and the ability to continue feeding the population.
The U.S. slipping as the world's biotechnology leader "would signal a global power shift toward China," says the report from the congressionally appointed National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology.
State of play: China has made biotechnology a national priority over the past two decades, and U.S. biotech companies are struggling to attract investors in the current market.
China's ability to use artificial intelligence to notch new biotech wins is accelerating and contributing to its rise in the space — and making it increasingly harder for the U.S. to keep up.
Beijing's ascendency in the sector could allow it to weaponize biotechnology against the U.S., the report warns.
Securing America's position as the global leader of biotechnology will require a whole-government strategy, along with incentives for the private sector and investment in the talent pipeline, per the report.
"There is time to act, but no time to wait," the report says.
Zoom in: The report makes dozens of recommendations for how the U.S. can remain dominant, including establishing an investment fund to back tech startups that strengthen national and economic security.
Congress should also create a National Biotechnology Coordination Office in the White House to coordinate regulation and competition initiatives and prohibit companies working with U.S. national security and health agencies from using certain Chinese suppliers.
Catch up quick: The report is the result of two years of deliberation and research conducted between April 2023 and February 2025 by the bipartisan commission, which includes four members of Congress and seven academics, industry leaders and former defense and intelligence officials.
What to watch: Whether any legislation arising from the recommendations gains traction in Congress.
Congress couldn't agree last year on whether to ban federal contracts with certain Chinese biotech research and equipment firms deemed national security threats.
The theme of biotechnology as a national security asset is also manifesting itself elsewhere: It's expected to drive anticipated tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
The bottom line: The federal government needs to put significant resources into biotechnology over the next five years, commission member Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) is expected to say today in a House of Representatives hearing about the report.
