Good evening. By this point, everyone knows about the Ozempic craze, and you’re likely not surprised to learn that it’s hit China as well. But what is surprising is the current, transitional moment in China’s pharmaceutical industry, and the challenges companies like Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, are facing there. Our cover story explains. Elsewhere, we have infographics on China’s path to food security; an interview with Dmitri Alperovitch on speeding up efforts to deter China on Taiwan; a reported piece on ASML’s powder keg in China; and an op-ed about Donald Trump’s plans to escalate the U.S.-China trade war. If you’re not already a paid subscriber to The Wire, please sign up here.
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China’s Ozempic Test
Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic, has enjoyed a China boom in recent years, commanding 77 percent of the market. But that kind of dominance isn’t likely to last, and Novo Nordisk’s challengers in China — both domestic and foreign — represent significant shifts in China’s pharmaceutical scene. Rachel Cheung reports on the tipping scales.
The Big Picture: The Smart Path to Food Security
China lacks land for farming, but companies are pursuing new technologies to help get the most produce out of every acre.
A Q&A with Dmitri Alperovitch
Dmitri Alperovitch’s new book World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the Twenty-First Century is a clarion call for the U.S. and its allies to speed up measures he argues will deter China from invading Taiwan and reshaping regional and global geopolitics. Born in Russia, Alperovitch came to the U.S. in 1994 and later co-founded cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, serving as its chief technology officer until 2020. He has since founded and chairs Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington D.C.-based geopolitics think tank. In this week’s Q&A with Andrew Peaple, he says Xi Jinping is bent on invading Taiwan and that the U.S. needs to unite with its allies to win a new Cold War.
Dmitri Alperovitch
Illustration by Lauren Crow
ASML’s Powder Keg
Despite export restrictions on the Dutch company’s most advanced chip machines, China has become ASML’s biggest customer. Aaron Mc Nicholas reports.
Would Trump Escalate the U.S.-China Trade War?
In this week’s op-ed, Nancy Qian argues that history explains why Donald Trump, if elected, would forge ahead with a policy agenda that would harm lower-income households.
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