Qi Biodesign, an agricultural biotech firm based in Beijing, is backed by official Chinese institutes in research and development as well as funding.
Republicans on the House China panel probed the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding its clearance of a Chinese biotech firm to sell genetically engineered soybeans in the United States.
In a letter to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, the lawmakers expressed concerns that the USDA appeared to “have facilitated Qi Biodesign’s regulatory status review in a matter of weeks, raising questions about the level of due diligence and motivation behind the rapid review.”
They asked the USDA to revisit the review and arrange a briefing with the committee no later than Aug. 1 to discuss the complete steps and timeline of the regulatory clearance of Qi Biodesign’s products. In addition, they want to know how the USDA protects U.S. supply chains when regulating foreign agricultural products.
They said that they were “deeply troubled” that the USDA seemed to “swiftly grant” the regulatory review for a Chinese firm while keeping U.S. companies waiting and facing “extensive delay.”
“Make no mistake, Qi Biodesign and other PRC firms like it are directly supported by the PRC government with the explicit purpose to replicate and replace U.S. agriculture biotechnology,” they continued.
The Republican legislators’ concerns came at a time when both the United States and China are boosting their investments in the biotech industry as a growth engine for their economies.
If China outpaces the United States in biotech, the CCP may repeat its success in dominating the global supply chain as it has in the green energy sectors, such as electric vehicles and solar panels.
“While the PRC is clear-eyed about its desire to never allow its agriculture industry to be reliant on foreign technology, it appears the USDA is approving PRC agriculture biotechnology without concern for U.S. supply chains or trade negotiations,” Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) wrote.
“USDA’s clearance of Qi Biodesign’s products undermines years of hard-nosed U.S. trade demands and could make U.S. farmers complicit in the PRC’s desire to replace them.”
Committee members Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), and Ben Cline (R-Va.) also co-signed the letter to Mr. Vilsack.
The Epoch Times has contacted the USDA and Qi Biodesign for comments.