U.S. biotech Thermo Fisher halts DNA kit sales in Tibet

Concerns raised over sequencing technology sold to Chinese security authorities

20240105 Tibet DNA

Exiled Tibetans protest against U.S.-based biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific in Dharamshala, India, in February 2023.  © AP

PAK YIU, Nikkei staff writer

HONG KONG -- U.S. biotechnology company Thermo Fisher Scientific said it will no longer sell DNA human identification products in China's Tibet region, following a similar move in Xinjiang after human rights groups alleged the technology could be used for human rights abuses.

The decision was made in the middle of last year "based on a number of factors," the Boston-based company said in response to an enquiry by Nikkei Asia on Friday.

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