Access to medicines and cures should be the priority – the focus – for America right now, not unnecessary complications over trade with the Chinese. We live in an interconnected world. If one nation shuts down the production of a good, it impacts the supply for the whole world. With drugs, the U.S. gets many ingredients from China and if the Chinese shut off access to these materials, American patients will suffer.
The Chinese are using the threat of withholding necessary drug ingredients if trade obstacles with the U.S. supervene. Chinese economist Li Daokui told the South China Morning Post on August 26th, “for vitamins and antibiotics, more than 90 per cent of their raw materials are produced in China.” He pointed out the sad truth that “the U.S. will definitely not be able to produce them in the short term.” In other words, if a trade dispute with China results in the Chinese government shutting off American access to Rx drug ingredients, American patients and users of Chinese sourced vitamins will be the ones who are hurt.
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