China has done human testing to create biologically enhanced super soldiers, says top U.S. official
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence shows that China has conducted "human testing" on members of the People's Liberation Army in hope of developing soldiers with "biologically enhanced capabilities," the top U.S. intelligence official said Friday.
John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, included the explosive claim in a long Wall Street Journal op-ed in which he made the case that China poses the pre-eminent national security threat to the U.S.
"There are no ethical boundaries to Beijing's pursuit of power," wrote Ratcliffe, a Republican former member of Congress from Texas.
His office and the CIA did not immediately respond to requests to elaborate on the notion that China sought to create "super soldiers" of the sort depicted in Hollywood films like "Captain America," "Bloodshot" and "Universal Soldier."
Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dolph Lundgren and Tommy "Tiny" Lister line up in a scene from the 1992 movie "Universal Soldier."TriStar / Getty Images
Last year, two American scholars wrote a paper examining China's ambitions to apply biotechnology to the battlefield, including what they said were signs that China was interested in using gene-editing technology to enhance human — and perhaps soldier — performance.
Specifically, the scholars explored Chinese research using the gene-editing tool CRISPR, short for "clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats." CRISPR has been used to treat genetic diseases and modify plants, but Western scientists consider it unethical to seek to manipulate genes to boost the performance of healthy people.
"While the potential leveraging of CRISPR to increase human capabilities on the future battlefield remains only a hypothetical possibility at the present, there are indications that Chinese military researchers are starting to explore its potential," wrote the scholars, Elsa Kania, an expert on Chinese defense technology at the Center for a New American Security, and Wilson VornDick, a consultant on China matters and former Navy officer.
"Chinese military scientists and strategists have consistently emphasized that biotechnology could become a 'new strategic commanding heights of the future Revolution in Military Affairs,'" the scholars wrote, quoting a 2015 article in a military newspaper.
One prominent Chinese general, they noted, said in 2017 that "modern biotechnology and its integration with information, nano(technology), and the cognitive, etc. domains will have revolutionary influences upon weapons and equipment, the combat spaces, the forms of warfare, and military theories."
VornDick said in a phone interview that he is less concerned about the battlefield advantage such research might provide than he is about the consequences of tampering with human genes.
"When we start playing around with genetic organisms, there could be unforeseen consequences," he said.
Representatives of the Chinese government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The overall message of Ratcliffe's opinion piece is that China is a dangerous adversary that threatens American economic and national security.
"The People's Republic of China poses the greatest threat to America today, and the greatest threat to democracy and freedom world-wide since World War II," he wrote. "The intelligence is clear: Beijing intends to dominate the U.S. and the rest of the planet economically, militarily and technologically."
In an interview with Fox News, Ratcliffe urged President-elect Joe Biden to "be honest" about China.
As NBC News has reported, Biden and his foreign policy advisers agree that China poses a major threat, but they say they believe the Trump administration offered more bluster than substance in response.
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China poses a threat the the USA? I could see it advancing technologically, but it's still got a long way to go.. For example, they are just now gathering moon rocks - something the USA did FORTY YEARS AGO. As for economically, maybe - there are a lot more consumers, and they have just eradicated abject poverty throughout the country. But militarily? Is that a joke? Well, maybe, if it's true that they are using genetics to create monsters....
Evening buzz. Well economically they certainly are as we are seeing now. Talk about chucking a wobbley and throwing a dummy spit..as for their disgusting cartoons China really needs to grow up..plus they are bun fighting with other countries as well..New Zealand will be next as they support us...As for the rest of the article after the WMD debacle..enough said..I don't look upon landing on the moon as 40 years behind but very advanced and with today's technology far superior to 40 years ago..
Forgot to mention one good thing CCP did for us was banning our crayfish..you beauty..was $200 a kilo here for Cray's now down to $60 bucks a kilo..Cray for Christmas we are wrapped...hope the ban remains for a very long time...thanks CCP...they can put that on Weibo?? now..
And there you have it the CCP is now attacking New Zealand for supporting Australia... France will be next...the derogatory childish school yard English of the CCP just reflects how backward the CCP is in the diplomatic world..geez the CCP is so threatened by two countries of 30 million people..bloody ripper hell the USA has nothing to be worried about...
Trump has told the world that America is no longer a reliable backstop.
Biden will probably try to bring the US back into the role it played previously, but it will take time to regain credibility.
In the meantime, China has a window of opportunity. Why would anyone suppose that they won't push as much as they can, while they can?
AMERICA FIRST!!
The CCP can push all they like..but to think China is so rattled over two countries of 30 million just reflects how insecure and paranoid they really are..No the USA should not be the world's back up that role deminished years ago as it should..the US has its own problems and needs to look after its own people...but for the CCP to start threatening New Zealand a country of 5 million people because they support us and we expected no less of the Kiwis really is the lowest of the low...
I don't see China as "rattled" at all.
They have an opportunity to make a show of force that their regional neighbors can't ignore, so they're doing it.
As for threatening NZ... international relations are rarely based on "being nice".
Thank Gawd! Someone who pronounces crayfish correctly! Here in the Southern US they're called "crawdads"
But they are delicious no matter what you call them
So you are saying that Australia and New Zealand are somehow threats to China?
No.
Morning..in China's eyes we are..they even have a list of 14 items that we need to ask forgiveness for...ranging from interfering in their internal affairs us asking for an independent enquiry that got right up their nose how the virus started...for us supporting Hong Kong and Taiwan..and as for us joining in war games with the USA Japan NZ and others sent them into a total melt down..hence all the export bans from barley Cray fish wine wood chips logs coal beef etc etc..and producing disgusting and derogatory cartoons about our SAS soldiers and hacking our government systems..and if we sail into disputed parts of the China Sea we are fair game...and constantly told it is not in our "best interests.. we will say and do what we feel as we have always done..and we will always stand by our Allies regardless of what China wants or thinks we should do..the general attitude towards the CCP here is... get stuffed...
Morning trout... they are also called rock lobsters...they look nothing like your lobsters though...very fine dining...
I don't think China is rattled, Shona, but it is possible that they are pissed with countries that interfere wtih their domestic affairs. There seem to be a lot of "holier than thou" countries around these days.
Have to tell this story here. I have had one experience with crayfish. Many years ago, during my studient days, a friend and I travelled to Cape Cod and took the boat to Nantucket - a great trip and I fell in love with Nantucket. We went to a restaurant and my friend ordered a fish dish and I ordered fried crayfish. I was served with a pan that had 5 black splotches on it. My freind took pity on me and gave me half of his meal.
Oh, you mean the Australian soldiers who slaughtered a whole bunch of innocent Afghani civilians as a RITUAL?
Yep that's the one..Even China said it is a fabricated depiction of what they used..See false info....As I just stated if true they will be hung drawn and quartered as they should be..have no qualms about it..So where is a cartoon of the Chinese soldiers throwing Indian soldiers of the tops of mountains the other month and using clubs embedded with nails..."Not in your interests" for China to depict such a thing??
Pot calling the kettle black there Buzz..."Not in our interests" ...A country of 25 million interfering in a country of 1.4 billion..hilarious...Time China came up with a new phase..Hmm lets see.. "We set the Uighur people free" and closed the camps..woo hoo now that would be a claim to fame..and poor old New Zealand 5 million and threatening them because they support us..Get a grip China..
I don't know how one fries crayfish. There's not a lot of meat in them.
More than anything, this is what makes the CCP dangerous to the rest of the world. Is there a neighbor they haven't yet threatened? Is there a religious group they haven't persecuted? Is there a freedom they haven't impinged on? A technologically advanced country they haven't stolen from?
Why the whole world doesn't stop what it's doing and deal with China is beyond me.
1. Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Laos, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia
2. Buddhism (the highest number of all religions in China), Taoism, There are about 32 million Muslims in China, of which at least 30 million live peaceful lives, pray in their mosques, carry on their businesses, about 30 ethnic societies that practise their own form of religion without interference. I know that Christians and Catholics were required to remove the crosses from their steeples because they were considered a form of proselytizing, and there are NT members who disparage China for it while they ignore the many countries where Christians are being slaughtered, raped and then forced to marry their rapists and forced to convert but after all, they're ignored, because CHINA.
3. Everyone I know here, my wife's whole extended family, my colleagues from when I was teaching, the couple of my doctor friends and their families, all of the students I taught over the years - virtually all are as free and happy with their lives as they wish, as am I.
4. Can you provide evidence (forget the propaganda) of exactly what they have stolen and from where?
Simple answer..... Greed. That's what drives the world and always has, as greed is what gets one power. The classic one-two punch of humanity.
According to many, the real threat to the world is RUSSIA!
About as good as each other at the moment...but in our eyes China wins hands down currently...
Russia has a tenth of China's population. Its economy is smaller than France's. Russia is not a significant player.
China's economy, by several yardsticks, is already significantly larger than America's... and it's growing faster.
Unless something changes radically, China will be the preeminent power in just a few years.
Um, it should be clear to you that I can do research, right? Nearly all you have said here is untrue. Most of the nations you list have some territory being claimed by the CCP. The religions you mention, like Buddhism, is being warped and modified in order to propagate CCP ideology, not what the religion has formerly taught. And I would find it difficult to believe you are not aware of what they are doing to their Christians beyond simply taking down crosses.
Of course. That explains Tiananmen Square, Hong Kong, Tibet, Mongolia, Uyghurs and all the rest. Or were you simply referring to the Han Chinese and not all the other cultures the Han Chinese are destroying as fast as they possibly can?
Of course I can. I have the same capabilities and resources of any first world government. Not. So, really, what you're going for here is that because I can't personally provide the evidence except what anyone can find on the internet, which you conveniently already dismiss as propaganda, then I really have nothing to stand on. That's pretty stupid. That's the same as saying unless I can personally provide evidence man landed on the moon, it didn't happen.
I did not mention India or Tibet because I knew there were issues there.
My wife's whole extended family are Buddhists who practice their Buddhist religion freely - how has the CCP warped and modified it from how they have practised it for generations? As for Christians, I personally resent their proslytizing, and obviously so does the CCP and I don't blame them.
Tianenmen Square is history. Now that the Chinese people all have a decent roof over their heads, good food on the table, free education for their children to high school graduation and in many cases free vocational training for a trade, and decent health care, are generally happy with their lives as I have PERSONALLY witnessed (and what is YOUR personal experience?) there doesn't seem to be any motivation for a revolution. Hong Kong is inevitably going to be governed by the CCP, so the desire for democracy is a lost cause in any event, and I saw the videos of the destruction, rioting and mayhem caused by the protestors - something I'm sure they didn't bother to air in the USA, and before that happened, there were no problems, and THAT is what caused the new laws to be put into effect. The rioting destructive protesters brought it upon themselves.
Tibet and Mongolia - I believe there are ancient maps that indicate a wide swath of the far east covered by what is now China. Our of curiosity, how do European descended Americans explain the fact that they usurped SO MUCH Native Americans' land?
Yes, the Uyghurs. I was here when they slaughtered a lot of innocent civilians in Kunming, which was the last straw for the CCP. It followed a long campaign of separatism and violence. That was when the reeducation camps were opened. There are 32 million Muslims in China, and 30 miillion of them live normal Muslim lives, pray in their mosques, mix with everyone else here, carry on their businesses. I like eating in Muslim restaurants because they serve lamb all year round, and enjoy lamb more than other meats. As for those who were violent, or tended to be, they are leaning to make a living for themselves to join with the rest of society.
When I was travelling around I visited the places where many different ethnic groups, and there are about 30 or so I believe here in China, and they seem to be continuing to practice their individual cultural traditions without repression.
I think one big difference between you and me is that you have probably never been to China, and I have been living here for more than 14 years and have travelled the country a lot, from the major cities to the smallest ancient villages. I have developed relationships with many Chinese people, and even married one of them. You are on the other side of the world and you believe everything you read. The difference between you and me is that I was born and grew up aboiut 40 miles as the crow flies from the USA, and have spent many vacations travelling around the USA, from Hawaii to Boston, from Los Angeles to Cape Cod, from San Fancisco and the Redwood Forests to New York City, from Buffalo to Miami, from Detroit to Dallas, from Chicago to Palm Springs, from St. Louis to Cincinatti, from Rochester to Baltimore, etc etc etc, and even owned with my brother a golf condo in Florida for many years. And, my interest in the USA, besides my experiences there, are boosted by the fact that my son and his family live in Milwuakee. Now, how is it that I can feel more familiar with and concerned with what is happening in America than you are with China?
I am tiring of this dialogue, because I know I'm not going to succeed in changing your bias and prejudices about things wherein you have no actual or first hand knowledge, so I do not intend to continue it. and you are not going to change my mind about things I've seen with my own eyes.
Are you denying the fact that the Covid-19 virus originated in a lab in Wuhan, China
Biden sounding tough on China.
Last report I saw from the CCP it started everywhere but Wuhan.. including Australia their favourite country of the month at the moment..we just rolled our eyes shook our heads and yawned..no surprise on that one...there is only a certain amount a koala will bare and the CCP has crossed the line as far as I am concerned...and the Kiwis are less than impressed with them as well...think there is going to be a very long list soon of countries waiting for Karna to hit the CCP...I await with great delight..
Scientists: 'Exactly zero' evidence COVID-19 came from a lab
The coronavirus was not engineered in a lab. Here's how we know
Oh,,right.....it just showed up on "bush meat" at the wet market.
Just exactly where do you think all the viruses came from, throughout history? Who created measles, chicken pocks, mumps?
The 1918 H1N1 flu virus caused the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century. Who, in 1918, created it?
The lab was doing virus research...maybe an infected lab tech carried the pathogen to the market
So?
MAYBE??????
You made a claim, and to justify your claim you come up with a "maybe" that goes against what professionals in the medical field have said?
Maybe Trump had the CIA create the virus so he could infect China for their trade policies, but incompetently allowed it to escape from China.
I have never denied it, I have always said that it's never been proven. which leaves it open to other possibilities. I just heard that two international groups were going be investigatiing, and I'm willing to wait for the result of what they find rather than simply listen to and believe propaganda and conjecture like an ignorant fool.
I guess I should have expected that you would ignore what I sent you in a Private Note.
A/noon Buzz. This is my second response....I lost the first mobile phone reception is crap here..So have just fired up my computer...First off Buzz you should know me better by now!! I have never ignored any message sent to me or post by anyone..Just as well I am not "thinned skinned"..Now have to try and remember what I said in my first lost response...An inquiry has been started here yonks ago re the SAS when these allegations first started coming out. China slow on the up take there..And how we treat our elderly really.. China is scrapping the bottom of the barrel there..Must have been a slow news day over there...If our SAS forces are guilty of any atrocities they will be hung drawn and quartered as they should be..And I would be first in line..No qualms there..Out of interest where does China stand on throwing Indian soldiers off mountain tops a few months ago and using clubs embedded with nails to attack them..Yep we support India as well so China can add that to the list before they start nagging about that one and chucking yet another wobbly..China has never admitted how many soldiers they lost in that stoush either..Yes we support Hong Kong,Taiwan and India we have for years..nothing new there so why China's concern now??...By the way we also support Israel, always have and always will..Wonder what China's stance is on that one??.. So with China, any country that supports another that China does not like they are going to threaten, demand, black mail etc??..Or the standard phrase that comes out of China.."Not in our interests"..How sad for China and her people..As for my comments re the state of mind of Xi he is starting to look like a Trump clone, well with these dorky responses how can we think otherwise..Come on Buzz you have done nothing but slag off Trumps mentality for ages..As for airing dirty laundry go for it, we have nothing to hide..Happy Anniversary for today and I look forward to out next conversation on China..The wonders of freedom of speech and democracy we love and enjoy abounds here..We may disagree, but that is what makes life interesting..Have a nice day, Buzz..
Oh, yes, I am, I am I am I am. And you cannot prove me wrong, dear
can you two get a room or something? Or maybe try paragraph breaks next time, Shona? Just saying
Anoon Ms..Sorry will keep it mind..
Wonderful Evening, Shona! YOu were there on NewsVine, right?
Anyway, we are having 60F in Seattle right now. The air outside smells like Hawaii on a cold night. Pina Colada and Mai Tai's are totally the drinks of the day. Cuz we are on a lockdown. SINCE FUCKING FEBRUARY!
LOL. Sometimes I've been guilty of that myself - your comment made me laugh out loud.
You know what, Shona1, I don't want to continue this discussion with you because it's leading to bad feelings. I would just like to point out that today's attitudes did not exist before Trump became POTUS. I believe things were going fine between China and Australia BEFORE TRUMP, and I blame him for a complete upset in what were once good relations. It was Trump who started the whole "ban Huawei" thing, because I believe the REAL reason had nothing to do with spying, it had to do with being afraid of a competitor beating the USA in a technological advance.
Yep my bad habit..left over from work days..Glad I am not the only one..
A/noon Buzz..Yep agree..The West and East or East and West are never going to see eye to eye over many things and in some respects that is unfortunate..Each of us is proud of our own countries or adopted countries and that is as it should be..(paragraph break).
It is what it is and I guess at the end of the day we all have to live on one planet and just have to make the best of it..(now I am paranoid about paragraph breaks)
Enjoy your anniversary and your day..Hope crayfish was not on the menu (sorry just had to get that one in)..Hope you put up some photos of the food you have your wife is cooking..enjoy.
A/noon Ms..yes it is I..not sure if that is good or bad...I have been lucky where I live in Victoria we escaped the worst of it I live 350 kilometres away from Melbourne but it did come here. We lost one citizen to the virus. Melbourne went into lock down for 3 months and hard as it is, it does work.
Melbourne got up to near a thousand infections a day and they were in deep doo doo. We lost 800 souls and things were grim. Lock down, face masks and social distancing. Melbourne and the whole State of Victoria is now 0 deaths 0 community infections this is day 30 I think..so it does work.
Restrictions have been lifted and life is now returning to normal. Yes we still have the virus but it is coming in on inbound flights as we bring our citizens back home. They are put in quarantine for 2 weeks and constantly checked and allowed out when they are given the all clear..
Summer here, well meant to be. Cold, wet and windy here at the moment. We had a few days 30oC and I hit the sun sand and surf. But this is our biggest fear now, Summer as we saw what happened with the virus in Europe and USA etc. Can only wait and watch and hope..Stay safe, have courage and wear a face mask..
Look at it as life insurance for yourself and family members and it does work..I am battling cancer and it works for me..Have a good evening..
You have a great sense of humour (and I guess you and I may be the only ones here who don't remove the "u" to "simplify" the English language) because I still can't stop laughing at your "paragraph break" notations.
Now that I think of it, I wonder why the Americans doe't delete the "u" from the words "laugh" or "cough"? It still sounds right to say "laff" and "koff" and it's SO much easier for them to spell, like fone, farmacy (oh wait - drug store is easier still). And if there's nothing wrong with the word "traffic" then why not make it easier to spell "graphic" as "graffic"?
I dunno, Buzz...I see them as our 21st century Cold War adversary. I know you enjoy living there, but you are not the Chinese government. They scare me
Why do they scare you? Do you think they're going to invade the USA? What are you scared of? Obviously from a lot of the comments I've been seeing there is a lot of fear from others as well.
Maybe. And maybe I should stop reading comments from certain conservatives on here. (not talking about you but a few well-you-know crazies)
They are powerful and they have nukes. And a lot of bodies
Do concentration camps bother you? Or are you okay with imprisoning people and forcibly sterilizing them for their beliefs? Using Slave labor something to be concerned about? What about the tens of millions of innocents killed by the CCP?
If a government with that track record doesn't concern, no government in human history would either.
I remember, a few years ago when I was in college (cough, cough), a professor smacked my "common knowledge" of history upside the head.
"Everyone knows that Germanic tribes overran the Roman Empire and looted it to death!"
Ummm... no.
Those Germanic bumpkins wanted to get into th Empire in order to live there in the (relatively) great conditions the Romans had. They certainly didn't want to destroy anything! (Well, maybe steal a bit of coin, here and there, but nothing really serious.)
-----
China is winning, and there's nothing on the horizon to make us think that will change. So they sure as hell do not want to blow everything up.
"Steady as she goes!"
That makes sense, Bob. You don't want to blow the shit out of something in a place where it's a nice place to live
It's so obvious, when we think about it. But we've heard the "common knowledge" so often and for so long, that we don't really think about it.
It's more likely to be scared of the USA that has been involved in wars for decades. As for nukes, surely anyone who would launch one at another country that has nukes would be causing the end of the world as we know it, including all human life.
I'm not influenced by fake news and propaganda spread by those whose brainless goal in life is to deflect from the incompetence, negligence and complete lack of integrity and honesty of their demi-god who is in their eyes incapable of doing anything wrong but who has the blood on his hands of hundreds of thousands of Americans and the guilt of causing the harassment of and attacks upon Asian Americans (and others). When it comes to China, I believe what I see with my own eyes, others believe any shit they read.
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Not long ago, there was this small country called East Germany that was well know for it's research into perfecting the human species. Look no further than the number of medals this small country brought home from Olympic Summer and Winter competitions by comparison to countries of comparable population. The country may have faded into oblivion, but its scientists and researchers didn't, they migrated to China. So it shouldn't be any wonder China has research programs to make the genetically perfect soldier.
Yeah, they all migrated to China, like Werner von Braun.
Without Dr Braun we wouldn't have junk on the moon.
I would imagine that DARPA is/has researched the same.
The problem with trying to play God is that the real one(?) might get ticked off and not appreciate it.
Is it possible to imagine that the military - regardless of nationality - is not looking at enhancing soldiers? Of course they are! I'd bet a lot of money that DARPA has several approaches under study.
What Americans need to integrate is that China may be ahead.
Constantly playing catch-up is lousy strategy. It's much smarter to attempt to leapfrog the adversary, technologically. China is developing hypersonic cruise missiles that leapfrog America's aircraft carrier advantage, for example.
SF predicted enhanced soldiers decades ago, because their advent is a no-brainer.
So then what? We build a super-hypersonic missile that runs rings around China's Navy? Do we start enhancing our troops with genetic nano-tech? Where does it end?
How about a world wide moratorium on things that can effin' kill us?
I vote "AYE!!"
In my opinion, it should have ended before they invented the internet.
Unless they are bullet proof I wouldn't worry about it too much.
I wonder if they will need to be put on ice and cooled down...
What I wonder about is why Americans seem to be so distraught and "holier than thou" about this development, when who was it who invented the atomic bomb and INTENTIONALLY slaughtered more than 100,000 and maimed for life more than 80,000 innocent civilians with it. Instead of being so focused and concerned about China, I would think that Americans should be a LOT more concerned about what is happening in the USA these days, and be more focused on what needs to be done to end the problems at home.
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Oh... I guess the article is about America nuking Japan. My bad
On the contrary... the Republican Party is well pleased that everyone fixate on foreign affairs. That way, they'll skip over the crap that occurs at home.