The U.S. recently increased tariff rates on some medical supplies made in China to bolster domestic production, but the plan likely won't be fruitful, industry executives told Reuters.
In May, the U.S. raised tariffs on China-made syringes, needles, medical and surgical gloves, and certain personal protective equipment in response to "underpriced" and "poor quality" products, the White House said.
The effort is designed to benefit American manufacturers, but China-based firms have a loophole, according to the May 28 Reuters report. To avoid the higher tariffs, companies can ship products to other countries, such as Malaysia, to serve as the middleman between China and the U.S.
"I always said, 'No matter what we do with tariffs, the Chinese will find a way around it,'" Dan Izhaky, president of the American Medical Manufacturers Association, told the news outlet. "It's not the silver bullet we need."
Read more here.