Trump administration officials and lawmakers from across the American political spectrum are increasingly anxious about the national security implications of sourcing medical supplies from China, as a surge in coronavirus cases across the US has sent demand for drugs and protective gear rocketing.

Republican senator Marco Rubio of Florida, a China hawk, and Elizabeth Warren, the progressive Democratic senator from Massachusetts, have recently joined the likes of White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and US trade representative Robert Lighthizer in raising concerns about medical supply chains that rely heavily on China. 

“Unfortunately, like others, we are learning in this crisis that overdependence on other countries as a source of cheap medical products and supplies has created a strategic vulnerability to our economy,” Mr Lighthizer told G20 trade ministers on Monday.