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Biotech and Geopolitics: A Simple Primer
Biotechnology is no longer just about medicines and research labs. It has become a strategic tool shaping trade, security, and international relations. Nations compete in biotech to secure supply chains, boost economies, and gain influence in global health.
1. Why Biotech Matters in Geopolitics
Health Security: Control over vaccines, diagnostics, and medicines determines how countries respond to pandemics.
Economic Power: Biotech industries drive jobs, exports, and patents.
Strategic Leverage: Nations that dominate biotech can use it for bargaining power in trade and diplomacy.
2. Trade and Technology Wars
The US–China rivalry in biotech mirrors their disputes in semiconductors.
Example: The US has imposed tariffs and restrictions on Chinese pharmaceutical products, fearing over-dependence. China, in turn, invests heavily in homegrown biotech firms to reduce reliance on Western innovations.
3. Pandemics as Geopolitical Tests
During COVID-19, vaccine-producing nations like the US, India, and China used supply as a form of “vaccine diplomacy.”
Example: India’s “Vaccine Maitri” initiative supplied doses to neighbouring countries and Africa. China exported Sinovac and Sinopharm to Latin America and Southeast Asia to expand its influence.
4. Biotech Supply Chains and Dependence
Many Western drugs depend on Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) imported from China and India. This dependency creates risks during conflicts or trade wars, prompting governments to push for domestic production incentives.
5. Ethical and Security Dimensions
Biotech is also linked to biosecurity risks such as engineered viruses. Control over genetic data (e.g., human DNA databases) could provide geopolitical advantages in health research and even national security.
Synopsis
Biotechnology has moved from labs to the heart of global politics. It is now a source of economic competition, health security, and diplomatic leverage. The US–China rivalry, India’s vaccine diplomacy, and global supply chain dependencies highlight how biotech is emerging as a new front in geopolitics.
Quotation
“The future will belong to nations that treat science not just as knowledge, but as power.”