Alarm raised over China’s threat to older Americans through drug supply chains

China poses a threat to America’s senior citizens through drug supply chains, financial scams and data privacy, a congressional hearing highlighted on Wednesday, with lawmakers and witnesses framing it as a national security issue.“Fifty years ago, we never would have given the Soviets the kind of leeway we give China: the access they have to our economy and our information, the dependence they enjoy from our supply chains,” said Rick Scott, a Republican senator from Florida, adding that the US needed to “get serious about this before it’s too late”.The hearing, titled “Counting the Cost: Communist China’s Toll on older Americans’ Health, Finances and Security” covered several issues affecting ageing Americans, including China’s dominance in pharmaceutical ingredients, as well as global drug supply chains.Rick Scott, a Republican senator from Florida, said China supplied 87 per cent of active pharmaceutical ingredients for US antibiotics. Photo: TNS“China’s weaponisation of supply chains is not theoretical. China has made controlling global supply chains an explicit strategic goal,” said Chris Slevin, from the China-economic-and-security-review-commission" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="32181" data-entity-type="organization">US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC).