After months of skirmishing, the Trump administration removed WuXi AppTec, a key contract developer and manufacturer for the pharmaceutical industry, from its list of “Chinese military companies” operating in the U.S.
The Department of Defense took this step to comply with a court ruling last August, according to a notice with the Federal Register. At the time, a U.S. District Court judge temporarily blocked the administration from pursuing the designation after WuXi filed a lawsuit arguing it was arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Two months earlier, the administration had placed WuXi AppTec on the list over concerns that the company has ties to the Chinese government and military, and that U.S. biotech leadership is at risk due to growing competition from Chinese companies. WuXi is seen by China hawks in Washington as a rising threat to national security.
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