Study warns Chinese nanotechnology fueling advanced bio, cyber weapons, electronic warfare tools

The Chinese military is building sophisticated biological weapons and small-scale electronic tools made with nanotechnology that could be used in future covert warfare, a major new study warns.

“China‘s invisible arsenals encompass a range of advanced weaponry that are distinctly focused on providing the Chinese Communist Party with a range of asymmetric warfare options, including the delivery of biological, biochemical and neurobiological weapons on target populations,” according to a report by three open-source intelligence analysts.

The People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, is developing nanoweapons using highly sophisticated microscopic materials that enhance the effects of biological weapons, according to the report, titled “In the Shadows of Science: Unravelling China’s Invisible Arsenals of Nanoweapons.” It was made public earlier this month.

It warns that Chinese advancements in biotechnology raise new fears about dual-use, civilian-military applications to produce genetically engineered pathogens for biological warfare, including difficult-to-trace bioweapons.

Additional nanotechnology weapons in development include miniature electronics and sensors in nano-devices for conducting data theft and disrupting critical infrastructure without detection.

Infrastructure attacks using nanorobots “could lead to blackouts, communication failures, or financial disruptions, posing severe threats to national security and stability,” the report said.

“Moreover, with the integration of [artificial intelligence] into nano-devices, China‘s military can create autonomous AI-driven nano-weapons capable of making real-time decisions and executing cyber-attacks with unparalleled sophistication and unpredictability,” the study said.

Beijing has long been eyeing such capabilities. The report cites a 2021 Chinese research paper that explains how “molecular communication” will be used to target advanced networks with precision cyberattacks.

Molecular communication is a nanotechnology that uses the release of tiny devices, like molecules, into liquid or gas that can provide instructions to a receiver.

One of the Chinese institutes that published the 2021 paper, the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, has been linked by the U.S. government to PLA cyberattacks against the U.S., the report said.

Other potential uses include the employment of nanomaterials to manipulate light and electromagnetic waves. Such technology will be used in advanced stealth warplanes, warships and military vehicles.

Chinese nanotechnology also will power autonomous weapons, such as nanorobots, used in swarms for spying or military command and control.

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