COVID-19 is about to put the global trading system through its most dramatic stress-test since World War II, with supply lines for essential food and medical goods entering a critical phase as the pandemic peaks in the U.S. and Europe.
India plans to ramp up production of pharmaceutical ingredients and become an alternative supplier for global drugmakers hit by factory shutdowns in China due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Carmakers might seem unlikely candidates to build ventilators for coronavirus victims. But in fact they may be quite well-suited to churn out the highly intricate medical devices that are in critically short supply.
The Trump administration has granted exemptions from tariffs for a range of medical products imported from China, including face masks and medical gloves.