Jan 6 (Reuters) - China's WuXi Biologics ( WXIBF ) said

on Monday it will sell its vaccine facility in Ireland to Merck ( MRK )

for about $500 million.

WuXi had previously said it was planning to sell some of its

operations as the company, along with other Chinese firms, has

been at the center of new U.S. laws aimed at restricting their

businesses in the United States due to national security

concerns.

The bill, called the Biosecure Act, which was passed by the

U.S. House of Representatives in September, is designed to keep

Americans' personal health and genetic information from foreign

adversaries and to push local pharmaceutical and biotech

companies to reduce their reliance on China for everything from

drug ingredient manufacturing to early research.

WuXi AppTec had said in December its

subsidiaries had signed a deal with U.S.-based private equity

firm Altaris LLC for the sale of its cell and gene therapy

manufacturing unit, WuXi Advanced Therapies, for an undisclosed

sum.