This post has been updated to remove reference to an unrelated study.
BGI was found in 2015 to be conducting a genetics study illegally with the University of Oxford, the Global Times reports. The project allegedly involved sending genetic data out of China over the internet, according to TechNode.
The Global Times says that BGI was found to have illegally conducted the study and illegally exported human genetic resources. This, TechNode says, led China's Ministry of Science and Technology to issue it a fine, while also ordering it to halt the research and destroy the samples. The Global Times reports the case has been resolved through a rectification procedure and that BGI has resumed collaborating with foreign partners while adhering to genetic data privacy laws.
"Generally speaking, the administrative punishment did not have any substantial impact on the company's operations," BGI said in a filing to the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, according to the Global Times.