The trade and supply deals that have been made over the years have put the United States almost totally reliant on foreign suppliers.
That reality came crashing down this week when China’s state-run media warned that China could cut off our supply chain for much needed life-saving drugs related to the coronavirus.
Backed into a Corner
Fox News reported that Xinhua, which is the state-run media outlet and basically serves as the mouthpiece of the Chinese government, boasted about how it handled the recent crisis.
The Wuhan Virus (coronavirus) originated in Wuhan, China, but it has quickly become a global pandemic and is just starting to take grip here in the United States.
While our numbers are currently low, they will grow significantly once more testing is available.
China has a massive grip on the supply chain for pharmaceutical exports and is now saying it may cut America off from this supply chain to plunge our country into “the mighty sea of coronavirus.”
This is surely going to create more panic than already exists, as the FDA has already announced there is a drug shortage in place related to the coronavirus.
Of course, the FDA would not go into detail about which drugs were in short supply.
To put this into perspective, the United States shuttered its last penicillin plant almost two decades ago.
Today, while our country dominates the research market, it also relies on the Chinese for between 80 and 90 percent of our antibiotics.
If China follows through on this threat, it would literally cripple our country in terms of being able to respond to this health crisis.
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) stated, “they can threaten to cut us off from our pharmaceutical supplies, they could trigger a domestic problem here that would make it difficult for us to confront them.
“It’s a tremendous amount of leverage.”
The White House has yet to respond to this threat.
Source: Fox News
**Update 3:29 p.m. – During Trump’s National Emergency declaration press conference, President Trump stated that article in state media, in his opinion, is NOT reflective of what he believes is the current mindset of President Xi.
We depend on our readers to help us get the word out. So, if you agree with this article, please like and share the article on your favorite social media outlet. You are also encouraged to sign up for our newsletter to ensure you can stay informed. To sign up for our newsletter, click here.