Generic drugmakers and hospital pharmacists warn that added financial pressure from tariffs could strain the nation's generic drug supplies.

The leaders of both Canada and Mexico got on the phone with President Donald Trump this past week to seek solutions after he slapped tariffs on their countries, but China’s president appears unlikely to make a similar call soon.

US President Trump doubled the tariff on all Chinese imports to 20% earlier this month, which could lead to Chinese companies flooding other markets with cheaper products, including chemicals..Indian chemicals companies might also feel the heat of potential reciprocal tariffs by the US.

Ensuring that China’s 1.4 billion citizens are adequately fed continues to top the policy agenda. While the Asian giant remains a key export market for largely Republican states in the Midwest farm belt, Beijing’s efforts to reconfigure supply chains after the trade war during the first Trump presidency have weakened Washington’s leverage.

Beijing imposed broad tariffs on imports of American food and said 15 U.S. companies could no longer buy from China without special permission.

Canadian lumber company Transpac Group confirmed on Mar. 13 that it’s largely shutting down its site on Afognak Island near Kodiak, effective immediately. Representatives of the company say that’s because earlier this month, China halted imports of U.S. logs in response to tariffs President Donald Trump imposed on Chinese goods.

The inconsistent trade policy coming from Washington leaves Beijing with no clear path to take to get out of the crosshairs. That leaves retaliation as the most likely response.

The country’s top leaders set an optimistic growth target but gave few hints of how to achieve it as their export-led strategy is challenged by rising tariffs on Chinese goods.