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Taiwan’s new biosafety lab to counter – not develop – bioweapons, defence ministry says

  • Island says new facilities will research ways to fend off biological warfare and help prevent future pandemics
  • The project was announced after Taipei denied a media report claiming the US asked Taiwan to develop biological weapons

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Taiwan has announced new biosafety research facilities but stressed that they will not be developing bioweapons. Photo: AP
Taiwan has announced plans to build a new generation of biosafety research and development facilities to bolster its defences against biological warfare as the People’s Liberation Army ramps up pressure on the self-ruled island.

But the project will not develop biological weapons, the island’s authorities stressed.

“The [planned construction] is in response to the rise of highly contagious pathogens in recent years,” Taiwan’s defence ministry said on Monday after a local news outlet reported that the United States had asked Taiwan to develop weaponised biological agents.

Taipei denied the report.

The ministry said that in addition to increasing Taiwan’s ability to detect and counter weaponised biological agents, the planned facilities, to be built by the ministry’s Medical Affairs Bureau, would also strengthen the island’s ability to prevent a pandemic.

It did not give further details of the plan.

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