Fentanyl Is a US Problem
They Must Deal With It Instead of Threatening Others With Tariffs, Says China
China claimed on Thursday 17 July, that the so-called “fentanyl” tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration in the US on its products is not only ineffective but also counterproductive for cooperation in counternarcotics.
The Chinese response came a day after Trump claimed that China may soon start taking harsher measures against people found to be involved in the illegal drug trade, due to US pressure.
“We have repeatedly made it clear that fentanyl is the US’s problem, not China’s. It is the US’s responsibility to solve the issue,” Lin Jian, spokesperson of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a regular press conference on Thursday.
Jian further claimed that, “despite the goodwill China has shown, the US wrongly slapped ‘fentanyl’ tariffs on” its imports. “The move has dealt a heavy blow to China-US dialogue and cooperation on counternarcotics, and gravely hurt China’s interests.”
Jian offered that “if the US truly wants cooperation with China, it needs to face the facts squarely, and seek dialogue with China on equality, respect and mutual benefit.”
The Trump administration has repeatedly blamed China, Mexico, and Canada for facilitating the flow of fentanyl into the country and has apparently used tariffs to pressure these countries to stop the fentanyl trade.
In February, the Trump administration imposed a 25% fentanyl-related tariff on Canada and Mexico and a 10% tariff on China. This tariff against China was later increased to 20%.
While addressing a press conference, following the signing of the HALT Fentanyl Act on Wednesday, Trump claimed that his tariff war against China has been effective.
“I think we are going to work it out so that China is going to end up going from that to giving the death penalty to the people that create this fentanyl and send it into our country,” Trump claimed.
The law permanently classifies fentanyl-related substances as a Schedule 1 drug under the Controlled Substances Act of the US.
Curb the demand at home
The fentanyl-related tariff has remained in force despite a trade deal signed between the US and China in May to avoid high tariffs under Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariff regime. The policy threatened high tariffs against a large number of countries and created widespread concern about its negative impact on global trade.
The US’s fentanyl-related tariffs, announced against Mexico and France in February, were relaxed after agreements were signed with each of them within weeks. However, Trump issued fresh threats of higher tariffs against both Mexico and Canada last week, citing their failures to curb the trade of the illegal drug as per the expectations.
In the case of Mexico, Trump claimed that it “has still not stopped the cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a narco-trafficking playground.”
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid which is considered more potent than heroin. Every year thousands of people die in the US from overdosing on the drug. It is made of chemicals used in the production of other medicines and therefore its trade is difficult to curb completely.
In order to address the aggressive US accusations about its role in the illegal trade of drugs, China issued a white paper in March listing the measures it has taken to address the problem and offered increased additional cooperation on the matter.
According to the white paper, China has undertaken various steps to curb the trade of substances used to make fentanyl since 2019. It has cracked down on groups and individuals involved in the illegal trade of these substances, arresting hundreds of them. It has tightened the control of fentanyl precursors used in the making of the drug and increased the financial surveillance of several other steps that could be related to its production.
However, it is widely argued that because most of the components used to make fentanyl are chemicals also used in the production of other essential medicines, their trade across the globe is legal and necessary. Once these chemicals reach the US, only its government can control how they are used in the domestic market. Therefore, instead of blaming China or any other country, the US should curb the domestic market of the drug.
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