https://twitter.com/news_ntd/status/1229247808512954368
NTD News @news_ntd
"If we use gene editing and transform these bacteria and viruses, then we will be able to produce a more widespread and lethal super virus," #China's former military scientist Chen Hu said in 2018. The old video has recently sparked heated discussions online.
65.8K views
7:34 PM - 16 Feb 2020
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Transcript:
"Why would genetic engineering be listed as a weapon of mass destruction? In recent years we have experienced and seen many epidemics on a large scale such as SARS, bird flu, even Ebola and the Zika virus that is now circulating in South America. If we use gene editing and transform these bacteria and viruses, then we will be able to produce a more widespread and lethal supervirus or a superbug. Then for this supervirus and superbug, its killing capacity is similar to atomic and hydrogen bombs. It's comparable to chemical weapons. So it's very dangerous. We're just saying it's a potential weapon. Then from the gene-editing technique to a genetic weapon what difficulties will we face? It doesn't simply require us to make such a supervirus or superbug. If you want to use it on a large scale, you have to first solve a problem which is you only use it to harm your enemies but not yourself. Even more terrifying is that it can target the characteristics of a specific ethniciy. Their genetic characteristics [You] specifically engineer such a gene in a particular way. It has the potential to kill a specific ethnicity. Yes, because genes with different ethnicities have their own characterisics. Of course, the most terrible thing is that if this technique is mastered by some madmen or some extremist terrorist organizations, they probably wouldn't even care whether it will harm themselves as long as it can cause harm to humankind and cause a feeling of terror they will use it on a large scale."