BEIJING — China is gearing up to collect DNA from its citizens on a nationwide scale.<br /><br />According to a Radio Free Asia report, local governments in China are spending millions of yuan on DNA sampling kits, testing instruments, sequencers, and other tools.<br /><br />Online records of government contracts and tenders shows that U.S. firm Thermo Fisher is supplying most of the DNA instrument analyzing technology.<br /><br />Authorities are believed to be focusing on identifying male relatives and building family trees.<br /><br />In Hubei, a male DNA database project is expected to trace the male line across five generations, as well as identify adoptions, and children born outside officially sanctioned limits and norms.<br /><br />In the RFA report, China analyst Willy Lam said the DNA collection may be linked to plans to open up the hukou or Chinese household registration system.<br /><br />Any DNA database will also likely be used alongside existing AI systems, facial recognition technology, and the social credit system, making it convenient for government surveillance.<br /><br />DNA collection is also being extended to newborns. In June 2018, authorities in Guangzhou issued the first electronic birth certificate with a DNA barcode.<br /><br />In this instance, a consent form was part of the process to collect the babies' DNA. But that isn't always the case.<br /><br />Human Rights Watch previously reported that in Xinjiang, DNA samples, fingerprints, iris scans, and blood types are being collected from all citizens aged 12 to 65, under the guise of a free health care program.
