- The U.S. government and China collaborated on a project called the Global Virome Project (GVP), designed to catalog thousands of novel viruses that could pose biosecurity risks.
- U.S. State Department and USAID heavily supported the project despite unanswered questions about data ownership and transparency.
- Project leaders included Shi Zhengli, a senior scientist with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), who has been linked to coronavirus research.
- The project involved cataloging potentially dangerous viruses, with samples left in WIV freezers after USAID-backed research.
- U.S. agencies provided over $210 million in funding for GVP and a similar project called PREDICT.
- The project raised concerns about U.S. biosecurity and the risk of Chinese dominance in virus research.
- Collaboration with Chinese institutions like the Wuhan Institute of Virology and BGI, tied to the People’s Liberation Army, heightened biosecurity risks.
- The U.S. government pushed ahead with the project despite warnings about potential national security implications.
The Global Virome Project involved Shi Zhengli and Peter Daszak
In a stunning revelation that highlights the deep ethical and biosecurity concerns surrounding virus research, a new investigation has exposed the serious risks associated with a collaborative project between the U.S. and China. The Global Virome Project (GVP), spearheaded by U.S. scientists and Chinese partners, aimed to catalog thousands of novel viruses that could potentially spill over into the human population, posing significant global biosecurity risks.
The U.S. Department of State and USAID played a crucial role in supporting the GVP, injecting millions of dollars into the project while ignoring critical questions about data ownership, transparency, and potential national security risks. Among the key collaborators were Shi Zhengli, a senior scientist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), and her American counterpart, Peter Daszak.
A major cause for alarm is the fact that U.S.-backed scientists left behind thousands of virus samples in the freezers of the Wuhan Institute of Virology. This includes samples from Yunnan Province, an area where coronaviruses closely related to SARS-CoV-2 are known to exist. The WIV, known for its research on coronaviruses, has long been a center of controversy due to its links to the Chinese military and its refusal to share critical data with international researchers.
The partnership between U.S. and Chinese institutions on the GVP involved BGI, China's largest genomic sequencing company, which has a controversial history of data misuse and military involvement. According to records obtained through Freedom of Information Act lawsuits, BGI was poised to handle up to 30% of the GVP's sequencing work, raising significant concerns about data confidentiality and the risk of biowarfare. Chinese researchers are currently working to identify these pathogens of pandemic potential.
US officials ignore biosecurity concerns
Despite these red flags, American officials pursued the project with unwavering enthusiasm, seeing it as an opportunity for noncontroversial cooperation with China. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing endorsed the project, hoping it would serve as a gateway for further collaboration on infectious diseases and China's Belt and Road Initiative.
However, the risks were starkly clear. Documents reveal that U.S. agencies were fully aware of the potential for Chinese dominance in virome research and the implications for U.S. biosecurity. One cable from the U.S. embassy in Beijing stated, "Limited access to the information gained through these efforts may have serious national security implications."
The U.S. government's decision to invest so heavily in this project, despite the clear risks and unanswered questions, demonstrates a dangerous disregard for biosecurity and the potential for human catastrophe. The failure to address concerns about data ownership and transparency has left the door open for potential misuse of the research by unscrupulous actors.
The 2023 decision to exclude the Wuhan Institute of Virology from federal funding for 10 years due to its failure to hand over crucial lab notebooks is a tacit acknowledgment of these risks. Yet, the damage may already have been done, with the potential for virus samples to fall into the wrong hands and the risk of unregulated research continuing to this day.
As the world grapples with the ongoing threat of pandemics, predatory vaccine programs, and biosecurity threats, it is imperative that governments and international institutions take a hard look at the potential dangers of collaborative research projects and prioritize transparency, security, and ethical conduct in all future endeavors. The full document on the Global Virome Project is included here:
Sources include:
USRTK.org [PDF]
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