In recent years, pressure has increased to isolate the United States from contact with the Chinese economy. The latest sector to be affected is healthcare, where there is a proposal to ban US drugmakers from outsourcing various tasks to Chinese companies. Here is The Economist:
The impact on Chinese companies’ American customers is also likely to be profound. Start with contract manufacturer-researchers. WuXi is to big pharmaceutical companies what Foxconn, the Taiwanese iPhone assembler, is to Apple: a high-quality supplier tasked with sensitive tasks. IP adress. The company says its customers include the world’s 20 largest drugmakers. Dozens of American pharmaceutical companies have informed their investors that if the BIOSECURE project the bill passes, they might not be able to meet demand for their products or complete clinical trials on time. . . .
Jefferies, an investment bank, estimates that replacing Chinese capacity would take big Western pharmaceutical companies at least five years and would almost certainly end up costing more. For biotech startups, which tend to rely on proven Chinese partners to save time and money on research and manufacturing, BIOSECURE The bill could be an existential threat. According to a survey carried out in March by the consulting firm BioCentury, biotechnology bosses and their investors expect a slowdown in drug development if this project is adopted.
It is difficult to assess arguments about “national security” because almost anything could have an indirect connection to this amorphous concept. So, does China’s weakening make war less likely, because our adversary is less powerful? Or does it make war more likely because rich countries have more to lose in the fighting?
One thing seems clear. The record of nationalism is much less promising than that of internationalism.
