Import Controls: Tools to Counter the CCP's Industrial Policy and Supply Chain Threats

The U.S. faces critical national security risks due to deep-seated economic dependencies on China across sectors such as robotics, connected vehicles, and pharmaceutical supply chains. China’s state-led industrial strategy, characterized by massive subsidies and market concentration, threatens to hollow out American manufacturing and compromise sensitive infrastructure. Effective mitigation requires proactive, sector-specific legislative action that prioritizes domestic capacity building and supply chain transparency over reactive trade adjustments. Policymakers must move beyond simple import restrictions to implement comprehensive industrial policies, including targeted R&D, workforce development, and robust public-private partnerships. Addressing these vulnerabilities is essential to maintaining technological sovereignty, as reliance on Chinese-controlled components in critical warfighting machines and consumer technology creates long-term leverage that undermines national security and economic stability.