Hawks in Washington take aim at medical imports from China

Pandemic exposes new crack in bilateral ties after ceasefire

U.S. President Donald Trump signs a memorandum on intellectual property tariffs on China in March 2018, flanked by members of his trade team, including Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, second from left; U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and trade adviser Peter Navarro, second from right. © Reuters

TAISEI HOYAMA, Nikkei staff writer

April 29, 2020 03:46 JST

Updated on April 29, 2020 06:39 JST

WASHINGTON -- U.S. policymakers who drove the trade war with Beijing are turning their attention from intellectual property and farm goods to medical products, as the coronavirus pandemic underscores America's reliance on China for lifesaving medical supplies.

China accounts for 18% of overall U.S. imports, but according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the share is 26% for medical supplies.