During the COVID-19 pandemic, concern arose over the U.S.’s dependence on China for essential medicines. Trump ordered in 2020 to prioritize the domestic production of these medicines. The exposure to Chinese products is less than 25% in volume of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Understanding this dependence is crucial for supply policy and resilience.
Last month, Ukraine faced a record of Russian attacks using drones and missiles, employing hundreds of kamikaze Shahed drones, multiple Russian drone and missile Shane attacks. The massive production of these drones, with support from China, poses a growing threat. Ukraine adapts its defense strategies in face of the economic disparity.
The analysis shows that many countries are ready to scale digital cash transfers, essential for eradicating extreme poverty. A proposal aims to create a Digital Fund to expand this type of transfers globally and will require efficient infrastructure to identify beneficiaries and manage programs.
The Brookings Center for Sustainable Development and Co-Develop organized a roundtable discussion on principles of digital infrastructure design to support digital financial transfers, aiming to eradicate extreme poverty globally. Proposals for a global fund and public digital infrastructure were discussed, evaluating the evidence and importance of this infrastructure in transfer programs.
The 25th EU-China Summit was cordial but lacked concrete solutions on trade and the war in Ukraine. The EU sees China as a partner, competitor, and rival, with the Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) suspended in 2021. Challenges persist in the trade balance and Chinese overcapacity, showing divergent priorities and complexity in bilateral economic relations.
