The Chinese regime has for years been collecting large amounts of American healthcare data, including sensitive genetic information—which pose serious privacy and national security risks, a top U.S. counterintelligence agency has warned. Alongside illegal means such as cyber hacking, Beijing has used investments in American biotech companies and partnerships with hospitals and universities to gain access to U.S. healthcare and genetic data, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) said in a fact sheet (pdf) released on Feb. 1. Vast amounts of genomic information (a person’s entire genetic sequence) can fuel developments in the cutting-edge field of precision medicine (or personalized medicine), allowing China to overtake the United States to become a global leader in biotech, the paper said. Such data can also be weaponized to target individuals in the country for intelligence and military operations. The warning came as Chinese genetics giant BGI Group has drawn scrutiny over its …