Senators Urge Biden to Reverse ‘Disastrous’ Decision to Give COVID-19 Medical Tech and Intellectual Property to China

Katherine Tai, nominee for U.S. Trade Representative, testifies during the Senate Finance committee hearings to examine her nomination in Washington, on Feb. 25, 2021. Tasos Katopodis/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

A number of Republican senators are urging President Joe Biden’s administration to reverse its “disastrous” decision to give U.S. COVID-19 medical technology and intellectual property to China under a controversial “Trips waiver.”

The Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) waiver was first proposed by India and South Africa, and would suspend intellectual property protections for products and technologies needed for the fight against COVID-19, including vaccines, for the duration of the pandemic.