Business group cautions U.S. on “re-shoring” too much China supply

China Plus Published: 2020-05-20 12:12:58

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has warned the U.S. government against overdoing the effort to return U.S. supply chains from China during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports Reuters.

Chamber CEO Thomas Donohue said on Tuesday that “protecting the resilience of our supply chain doesn’t mean re-shoring all production in the United States,” adding that such moves would harm the country’s economy.

Cargo cranes are used to take containers off of a Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation boat at the Port of Tacoma in Tacoma, Washington, Nov. 4, 2019. [File Photo: AP/Ted S. Warren]

While U.S. President Donald Trump pledged to return manufacturing jobs from overseas, the recent spread of the coronavirus and concerns about dependency on China and its imports has sparked a new enthusiasm for the move, especially in the White House.

But the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other groups say moving production facilities to the United States from overseas will be costly and time-consuming and stockpiling essential supplies would be more cost effective, according to the report.

The chamber also worries about the U.S. government possibly triggering retaliation from China and other countries, if they followed through with extending the “Buy American” rules for buying drugs and medical equipment.

(Story includes material sourced from CGTN.)