Is China Using Genetic Engineering to Develop Genetically-Modified Super- Soldiers?
Will Captain America soon have a real-life Captain China counterpart?
I grew up watching Marvel superhero movies, with Captain America as my favourite character, but it was always clear to me that these were science fiction characters that would never become reality. However, I think the Chinese government wants to prove me wrong. According to a report from U.S officials, the Chinese army is performing biological tests on its soldiers in order to possibly develop their own Captain China.
Well, jokes aside, this is serious: China is vigorously attempting to raise an army of biologically enhanced soldiers or super-soldiers.
Having a super-soldier in the military has always been an exciting notion; imagine a soldier who can endure tremendous pain, cold, and heat. In December 2020, John Ratcliffe, the United States national intelligence director, released an op-ed claiming that China is performing biological experiments on its soldiers to improve their capabilities.
Furthermore, John Ratcliffe also mentions that “There are no ethical boundaries to Beijing’s pursuit of power.”
In this article, we will analyze this claim and attempt to determine whether China is the only country that has conducted such biological experiments to develop super-soldiers and how close is China to develop a super-soldier army.
BACKGROUND
Military modernization and technological advancements are nothing new in terms of enhancing soldiers’ capabilities. Throughout history, numerous empires utilized a variety of strategies to improve the capabilities of their armies.
Throughout WWII, soldiers of both blocs allied powers and Axis powers made widespread use of the psychoactive stimulant ‘Methamphetamine.’ This medication was a critical component of the nazis’ military plan. The medication was used to boost troops’ capacity and mental attentiveness. However, Methamphetamine was later banned due to its negative side-effect.
During an interview with the press, former U.S President Barack Obama joked that they were going to develop an Iron Man suit for the US army. The US military, on the other hand, was developing such programs. The US military was working on the TALOS (Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit), which was inspired by the movie’s ‘Iron Man suit.’
It was meant to be lightweight and bulletproof to better equip US soldiers against assault, but the project was abandoned after five years and raised no ethical concerns, in contrast to what China is undertaking. Because if allegations of China biologically altering soldiers are true, the resulting soldiers will be far more lethal than those protected by body armour.
The Reports and Implication
John Ratcliffe is particularly concerned about China’s rapid advancements in ‘CRISPR-Cas9’ genetic engineering technology. CRISPR-Cas9 is a revolutionary technology that enables geneticists and medical researchers to edit specific regions of the genome by deleting, inserting, or modifying DNA sequences.
This is a very strong tool for a genetic alteration that was initially designed with the goal of curing hereditary illnesses. In 2020, two biologists were given the Noble Prize for this technology: Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna.
In 2018, He Jian Kui, a researcher working in China, claimed to have used this procedure to create two genetically modified human infants, named ‘Lulu’ and ‘Nina’. Initially, this achievement was lauded throughout the world, but subsequently, as experts dug deeper into He Jian Kui’s method, they harshly criticized it for ethical reasons. Without any methodical approach and without investigating the consequences of these experiments can result in fatal diseases in humans.
In response to the global outrage, He Jian Kui was sentenced to three years imprisonment by a Chinese court.
Later in the year, the Chinese government committed to enacting legislation governing human gene editing. However, Ratcliffe’s accusation that China conducts biological tests on its soldiers has dragged back China into the argument.
Ratcliffe is not the only one to make such claims. Earlier this year, two researchers, Elsa Kania, and Wilson Vorndick expressed concern about China’s possible use of ‘CRISPR-Cas9’ technology to weaponize its soldiers. Additionally, they asserted that China is attempting to connect biotechnology, supercomputing, and cognitive sciences. Furthermore, both researchers asserted that ‘Biotechnology’ was a primary priority area for China’s strategic and defence development.
In 2016, the ‘South China Morning post’ had already suggested that the Chinese soldiers can be supplied with ‘Modafinil’, an anti-depressant and anti-sleep drug.
One point worth noting is that neither Elsa Kania nor Wilson Vorndick claimed that China has achieved any success with these methods of genetically engineering their army. They only stated that the Chinese army is actively engaged in genetic engineering.
Ambition Vs Reality
Wilson Vorndick, a former navy officer, seemed more concerned with the future consequences of gene editing than with China’s ability to build super-soldiers.
In 2019, the science journal ‘Nature’ expressed concern, that gene-editing techniques could have negative consequences for humans. These approaches have the potential to cause major mutations, posing harm to the entire humanity. Additionally, the mutation created by the technique will be very difficult to be detected.
Although China has denied all of these allegations and described the US as a malicious propagandist. However, due to China’s lack of transparency, verifying the veracity of claims is exceedingly difficult.
However some experts suggest, it is exceedingly unlikely that China will succeed in such endeavours in the near future. Let's understand why?
Possibility of Super-Soldier
In a report published in BBC, Elsa Kania disagrees with Ratcliff’s assertions, believing that China is only conducting field trials for exploratory purposes and developing a super-soldier is not easy for any nation across the world. Because our resources are insufficient to develop a super-soldier via genetic engineering at the moment. Additionally, she cites the ineffectiveness of gene editing techniques in mature adults when compared to embryonic gene editing.
Dr. Helen O’Neill, a molecular geneticist at University College London, also disagrees with Ratcliff’s claim she is more worried about the possibilities of such technology than with the production of super-soldiers.
Pointing out the limitation of gene-editing technology, scientists Christophe Galichet underscores the lack of precision of these technologies. He continued, ‘Although gene editing is conceivable, we are still unknown about the complete function of genes; if we change a sequence of DNA, it is possible that it may confer additional strength on the subject, but it is also possible that it will have unintended consequences.
Additionally, some experts believe that China is being inspired by the west in these initiatives. According to a 2017 report from ‘The Guardian,’ US military agencies are investing millions of dollars in gene extinction technologies that can be used to eradicate malarial mosquitoes, invasive rodents, and other species.’ This has raised concerns because, while they intend to use the technology to eradicate invasive species, but it has the potential to be misused.
France and the United Kingdom both issued guidelines in 2020, directing researchers to conduct research on enhanced soldiers within critical boundaries. Although numerous western countries conducted genetic engineering research, none aroused as many ethical concerns as China.
Impact on Geopolitics
BGI (Beijing Genomics Institute), a Chinese genome sequencing company, had marketed millions of COVID-19 test kits outside of China. Apart from this, BGI’s parental test kits are quite well-known worldwide. However, Reuters uncovered in an independent study that ‘this Chinese corporation is selling prenatal tests globally, manufacturing these kits in partnership with the country’s military, and utilizing them to harvest genetic data from millions of women for large-scale population studies.
US security officials warned American labs against using such China-made testing kits as these can be leveraged for the collection of genetic data in order to push genome research in China.
Even though BGI rejects these charges, Reuter stated that the evidence in hand is insufficient to prove anything, but the connections between BGI and the Chinese PLA are deeper.
China has strengthened the linkages between its commercial firms and military-related research activities in recent years. Previously, BGI collaborated with the PLA on the development of technology to prevent altitude sickness among Chinese soldiers.
The majority of China’s population lives in Western China, whereas their most significant borders with India are in the south and west; these borders are characterized by high altitude topography.
According to ‘The New Indian Express,’ China is currently constructing multiple permanent military structures around the India-China border, named the LAC(Line of Actual Control). China attempted to intrude on the Indian side of the border on numerous occasions, resulting in numerous clashes, the most notable one was the ‘Galwan Clashes.’ Both sides suffered huge losses in the ‘Galwan clashes’ due to the high altitude and rough terrain.
The higher altitude on the Chinese side across LAC gives China an operational advantage during times of conflict. However, the Chinese army suffers a lot to defend these posts along LAC because of high altitude sickness and related health problems.
PLA has performed a variety of scientific studies in the past to address concerns about China’s west and south-west border’s higher altitude. Even if this doesn't conclude the possibility of a super-soldier, experts say this is alarming because it is the first step toward a military-genetic engineering link.
Conclusion
Although Ratcliff’s assertions appear a little far-fetched, China’s suspicious practices refocus analysts’ attention on them. Even if they succeed in generating mutant super-soilers, it will take them a minimum of a century of time, because our existing scientific understanding is insufficient to accomplish such a feat. However, due to China’s lack of transparency, we would never know what is truly going on inside the country.
“We are no longer living in a time when we can say we either want to enhance or we don’t. We are already living in an age of enhancement.
— NICHOLAS AGAR, VICTORIA UNIVERSITY”
I hope this post was worthwhile of your time, and I appreciate you taking the time to read it.
