Stunning observation at Breitbart:
Coronavirus Outbreak Exposes China’s Monopoly on U.S. Drug, Medical Supplies
The coronavirus outbreak has exposed the United States’ dangerous dependence on China for pharmaceutical and medical supplies, including an estimated 97 percent of all antibiotics and 80 percent of the active pharmaceutical ingredients needed to produce drugs in the United States.
The economic repercussions of the coronavirus reveal the dangers of allowing one country to have a near monopoly on global manufacturing, David Dayen explains in an article at the American Prospect:
China is a source of not only finished goods, but also of input parts and raw materials. A substantial number of the materials needed for defense and electronic systems come from China, and that nation is “the single or sole supplier for a number of specialty chemicals,” according to a recent Defense Department report. Rare earth minerals, which are critical to electronics, are largely mined in China. As a result, Chinese disruptions don’t just hit Chinese manufacturing, they hit everyone’s. Automakers have already had to slow or shut down factories globally due to supply shortages.
This is not a good situation to be in - no options for second sourcing parts and goods. Good that we had a minor wake-up call -- the Kung Flu may be a killer but the plain old Flu is even worse in the USA.
Fantastic timing that Trump is in charge and will be for the next four years - he will get this fixed.
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