When it comes to protectionist trade policies, the United States and other Western countries had better look hard before they leap. An unpublished study found that the United States is heavily dependent on China for the supplies of three essential vitamins: folic acid, or B9; niacinamide, or B3; and biotin, or B7. While there are potential solutions that could reduce this reliance, they could not be implemented quickly and they would be expensive. This study highlights the challenges of decoupling from China due to the intricate interdependencies and suggests that understanding these dependencies is crucial before taking any aggressive trade actions.
