Now Reading: US court stops Pentagon listing WuXi AppTec as China military firm
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US court stops Pentagon listing WuXi AppTec as China military firm
US court stops Pentagon listing WuXi AppTec as China military firm
A US judge on Friday barred the Pentagon from adding Chinese biotechnology company WuXi AppTec to its list of firms believed to support Beijing's military. The court ruled the Defence Department lacked…
The Story in Brief
A US judge on Friday barred the Pentagon from adding Chinese biotechnology company WuXi AppTec to its list of firms believed to support Beijing's military. The court ruled the Defence Department lacked evidence to justify the designation. The company, a contract research organisation, supplies pharmaceutical and biotech clients worldwide, including several Indian generic drugmakers, and had challenged its inclusion in court.
The ruling temporarily blocks the Pentagon's move, which had raised fears of forced divestiture and supply chain disruption. The judge said the government failed to show that WuXi AppTec operates under the control of China's People's Liberation Army or otherwise meets the criteria for the list.
The Indian Opinion
The narrative that every Chinese biotech firm is a military front has been fed by trade hawks in Washington and amplified by Indian analysts. But this ruling shows the bar for evidence is real. Indian pharma depends on Chinese intermediates, and a broad ban would hit prices. The test now is whether the US appeals or produces fresh proof. Either way, India must weigh national security against the costs of decoupling for its drug supply chain.
Source: ndtv.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
