Complete US decoupling from China

The pandemic revealed dangerous US dependence on China, including for medical supplies, and must spur a return to Made in USA.

By Dr. Joe Tuzara, INN

loading of the first cargo aircraft in China

SARS-COV-2, more commonly called coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China is certainly a curse, but is in one way a blessing in disguise which will bring much-needed changes on how the U.S. deals with its hitherto unchecked dependence on that Communist country.

China’s has shown a desire to become the world’s dominant power, revealing its hand when it allowed the virus to spread in 189 countries.

And the highly pathogenic virus also exposed our nation’s troubling weaknesses and vulnerability in the pharmaceuticals and medical equipment global supply-chain in more ways than can be imagined.

After scooping up supplies of masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) from around the world, China threatened to cut off life-saving medications amid a global pandemic so the US could be “plunged into the mighty sea of coronavirus.”

A Chinese virologist at Wuhan’s Institute of Virology which stores 1,500 virus strains also warns that the deadly coronavirus surfacing now is “just the tip of the iceberg” and the world will soon face even more worst pandemics.

Indeed, Chinese scientists are raising alarms about a newly discovered flu virus currently carried by pigs that has the potential to trigger a global outbreak.

Meanwhile, the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) growing influence went largely unnoticed. And by now, it has penetrated all levels of American society.

There is a large increase in economic espionage cases linked to Communist China over the past decade. A new Chinese spy Investigation accounted for nearly half of the 5,000 ongoing counter-intelligence cases being pursued by the FBI every 10 hours.

Already, the American people are victims of what amounts to Chinese theft on a scale so massive that it represents one of the largest transfers of wealth in human history and poses a national security threat.

Now is the time to rebuild the capability and capacity of America’s medical-industrial complex on a par with our powerful military-industrial complex.

Although decoupling from the Chinese economy will be costly, we have no choice but to repatriate ASAP on such things as antibiotics and PPE to the list of products as a strategic asset that, like refining capacity, rare earth metals, aluminum, microelectronics and semiconductors to be Made in America.

As we now realize our shortcomings in response to this crisis both at home and abroad, we should remember that this Made in China virus too shall pass.

The CCP’s refusal to investigate the true origin of COVID-19 outbreak proves that we can not trust Chinese communists who engage in human rights abuses including forced labor, organ harvesting, persecution of Christians and destruction of churches.

The Trump administration has done more to address China’s human rights issues than all previous administrations combined. The U.S. would not allow CCP’s intimidation campaign on social media, surveillance, cyberattacks, and intellectual property theft including its unlawful maritime claims in the South China Sea to go unnoticed. CCP has vowed devastating revenge on U.S. sanctions.

But while few question that the virus originates in Wuhan, many don’t know that Wuhan is also the source of another deadly epidemic: America’s fentanyl overdoses.

Fentanyl, a form of a synthetic opioid that is 80-100 times stronger than morphine, has quickly become America’s most dangerous drug. Over the past decade, Wuhan has emerged as the global headquarters for fentanyl production. In 2018, fentanyl killed 31,897 people in the US—more than twice the number of any other narcotic. A recent RAND analysis concludes “Most of the fentanyl and novel synthetic opioids in U.S. street markets—as well as their precursor chemicals—originate in China.”

Add the fentanyl deaths to the COVID-19 deaths and you will find how the CCP has sabotaged U.S. public health and national security.

One thing is certain, there is no guarantee that America won’t be confronting wave after wave of pandemics stemming from China.

What else do we need to do to hold China accountable?

We have too much of our economy propped up and predicated upon huge investments in China.China needs our consumer markets more than we need theirs. Accepting the status quo like we did for 20 years is no longer an option.

After 40 years of trade liberalization and over-dependence on China for many of our most common drugs and medical supplies, to decouple would serve America’s interests and we need to address it as an immediate national security imperative.

Economic decoupling is one of the many ways of limiting our exposure to CCP’s abominable activities that violate American law and values.

Investments in China should be banned. It will be interesting to see how much longer the CCP can hold onto power.

The good news is: U.S. companies are leaving China. Thanks to Trump’s tariffs and the global coronavirus pandemic. We, therefore, anticipate President Donald Trump will renew the threat of a complete decoupling from China.

And, for the sake of our economic well-being and national security, America has long needed a “hard-decoupling” from China.

Dr. Joe Tuzara,was a clinical research-physician-general surgeon for Saudi Arabian, Philippine and American healthcare systems and is currently an American freelance writer as well as an op-ed contributor who defines himself as a humanitarian advocate.