The Next Chokepoint: China’s Leverage Over US Pharmaceutical Inputs

This panel discussion, hosted by Michael Sobolik at the Hudson Institute, explores the national security implications of China's dominance in the global pharmaceutical supply chain. The panelists, including former Congressman Ted Yoho, expert Rosemary Gibson, and Hudson Institute fellow Rebecca Heinrichs, discuss how the United States' reliance on China for active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and key starting materials poses a significant risk to American strategic resilience and public health. They highlight the potential for China to use its control over these supply chains as geopolitical leverage, as well as the existing issues with substandard and contaminated pharmaceuticals entering the U.S. market. The conversation covers the reasons for the migration of pharmaceutical manufacturing overseas, the challenges in deterring China from exploiting its pharmaceutical dominance, and potential policy solutions such as incentivizing domestic manufacturing, enforcing stricter FDA standards, and collaborating with allies to diversify supply chains.