Chinese President Xi Jinping is reportedly concerned that the U.S. could design a disease specifically targeting him, according to a New York Times editorial.

The piece is titled "This Is the 21st-Century Arms Race. Can America Keep Up?" and begins:

"Something strange happened at the meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of China in a mansion south of San Francisco on Nov. 15, 2023.

"After a working lunch, as the two leaders rose to leave, an aide to Mr. Xi signaled to one of the Chinese president's bodyguards, who approached the table, took a small bottle out of his pocket and quickly sprayed down every surface that Mr. Xi had touched, including what remained of the almond meringue cake on his dessert plate," the opinion piece said.

The Americans concluded that the purpose of the process "was to remove any trace of Mr. Xi's DNA that his hosts might collect and exploit."

"This is the way they're thinking," an official who attended the meeting told the Times. "That you could design a disease that would only affect one person."

According to the outlet's editorial board, the history of humanity "can be told as a series of advances in warfare, from chariots to crossbows to nuclear-tipped missiles, and we are living through what may be the fastest advancement in weaponry ever."

A cursory survey of "any five veteran national security experts" will yield testimony on "five different emerging technologies with the potential to change the world of combat," the board wrote.

"Swarms of robotic aircraft that work in unison to find and kill targets without any human oversight," the piece read. "Advanced cyberweapons that can immobilize armed forces and shut down electrical grids across the country. AI-designed bioweapons engineered to kill only those with certain genetic characteristics."

While some of this new weapons will remain relegated to the genre of science fiction, innovations such as "artificial intelligence, synthetic biology and quantum computing are set to change how we wage war," the editorial cautioned.

Massive investments from the private sector have ensured that the U.S. has the lead in some of these areas, including AI.

"But China, Russia and other authoritarian regimes are accelerating state investments at purpose-built universities and finding ways to incorporate innovations into their militaries now," the opinion piece said.

The New York Post reported in September that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un behaved similarly when he traveled to China with his own personal toilet that was "designed to protect his DNA and any clues about his health."

His "aides were also spotted meticulously cleaning the room where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin," according to the outlet.

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