NPR

Stopping Key Tech Exports To China Could Backfire, Researchers And Firms Say

Some tech firms and researchers say plans to impose export restrictions on "emerging and foundational technology" would make it hard to thwart cyber threats and to cooperate globally in science.
A technician works in a lab at GeseDNA Technology in Beijing. To counter China, the U.S. plans to impose new export restrictions on "emerging and foundational technology" that researchers say could affect the way they share genetic materials with international labs.

For the last 15 years, Addgene has dedicated itself to accelerating medical research. The nonprofit in Watertown, Mass., does so by sharing research materials globally, like chromosomal DNA, used in the search for breakthrough medical cures.

That could soon change.

It is now one of thousands of research groups and companies caught up in a tech rivalry between the United States and China. This year, the Trump administration is expected to put new restrictions on the export of "emerging and foundational technology" — tools that are central to next-generation applications — to prevent it from falling

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