North Indy News

In a recent column published in Foreign Affairs, U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) highlighted the growing competition between the United States and China in biotechnology, emphasizing concerns over America’s diminishing leadership in the field.

Senator Young pointed to significant Chinese advances, such as Akeso’s clinical trial results for a lung cancer drug that outperformed a similar treatment from U.S.-based Merck. According to Young, “the previous best-in-class drug, produced by the U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck, delayed new tumor growth for only six months,” while Akeso’s product could halt progression for nearly a year.

China's rise in biotechnology has been driven by strong government support and strategic investment. Over two decades, Beijing has implemented financing packages and subsidies to strengthen its domestic biotech industry. Chinese companies like BGI Group and WuXi AppTec have expanded their influence through acquisitions of U.S. firms and partnerships with state-owned enterprises. The Chinese government has also built more than 100 advanced biotechnology parks and encouraged venture capital investment in the sector.

Senator Young noted that “China is becoming a world-leading biotechnology innovator” as Western biopharmaceutical companies seek deals with Chinese counterparts. He stated that the total market capitalization of China’s publicly listed biotech firms now stands at $1.5 trillion, second only to that of the United States.

Meanwhile, Young described American challenges: fragmented federal strategy, stagnant research funding, investor hesitation toward innovative projects, regulatory obstacles for startups, and lagging infrastructure and workforce development compared to China.

Young warned of national security implications tied to biotechnology leadership: “The country that leads global biotechnology will determine how and to what ends this transformative technology is used.” He cited examples where biotechnology intersects with defense production, agriculture efficiency, critical minerals extraction, and data storage innovations.

The senator expressed concern about ethical standards in China’s biotech industry. He referenced reports of genomic data collection on Uyghurs by Chinese authorities—actions designated as genocide by the U.S.—and military collaborations involving companies like BGI Group.

On policy responses, Young outlined steps taken by Congress: “This spring, I helped introduce the bipartisan National Biotechnology Initiative Act of 2025,” which aims to streamline regulations and coordinate national strategy. Additional proposals include creating an Independence Investment Fund for technology startups relevant to national security; investing in manufacturing facilities; supporting early-stage innovation through programs like Small Business Innovation Research/Technology Transfer; and using advance market commitments for biotechnology products.

Young called for international collaboration among allies: “If the United States is to reassert its global biotechnology leadership… it must work with allies.” He argued for unified standards on data security and export controls as well as reciprocal biological data-sharing agreements with partners worldwide.

Drawing parallels with past technological competition in semiconductors—where Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act in 2022—Young suggested similar urgency is needed for biotech policy: “The United States can win the biotechnology race… Strategic action now is the difference between controlling the biotechnology future or being controlled by it.”